BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions

Kahlil Joseph began his career working on music videos for Kendrick Lamar, FKA Twigs, Flying Lotus, and most notably, he directed Beyoncé’s Lemonade (2016). Since, Joseph has become a notable figure in the art world with his video installations exhibited in many notable museums and galleries. The boldly innovative BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions is Joseph's first theatrical feature film, an expansion of his 2019 art installation. It weaves together the journeys of W.E.B. Du Bois, Joseph’s own family, and a fictional, mysterious, and undercover journalist who boards an international cruise liner to cover a Transatlantic Biennial in Africa. The ship encourages passengers to reconcile their personal history within a broader cultural context. Seamlessly blending archival footage, YouTube and social media content, personal memoir, historical references, writings of notable authors such as Saidiya Hartman and Christina Sharpe, films by other young Black artists, and more, the film offers a kaleidoscopic exploration of the Black experience. The result is a cinematic experience that mirrors the sonic texture of a music album. With cinematography by the brilliant Bradford Young. (113 mins., DCP)

BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and is getting a national theatrical release by Rich Spirit Films.

See the complete Unorthodocs 2025 lineup.

IMAGE CAPTION
BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions, courtesy of Rich Spirit Films.