Will Packer

A funny thing happens when you start making money outside of Hollywood. Guess what? People started to care 

Will Packer 

Takers opened in the States last week and hit the number one slot in the box office. Takers is a heist film in the vein of Ocean's Eleven and has a stellar cast of Idris Elba, T.I, Chris Brown, Michael Ealy, Matt Dillon, Paul Walker, Hayden Christiensen and Zoe Saldama. The film was directed by John Luessenhop but the man behind the hit film is the producer, William Packer (known as Will Packer) who has a great body of work behind him. Along with his partner, Rob Hardy, Will formed Rainforest Films and they have produced films such as Chocolate City, Trois, Trois 2: Pandora's Box, Motives, Trois 3: The Escort, Stomp the Yard, This Christmas and Obsessed.

William was born and raised in Florida and graduated from Florida A&M University in Electrical Engineering. It was at Florida University where he met Rob Hardy and they began to make films together and this along with an apprenticeship with film director, Warrington Hudlin who brought us House Party and Boomerang wetted Will's appetite for the film business. Will Packer's USP is being able to produce films that are extremely successful outside of Hollywood and his first four films are testament to that. His first film, Chocolate City was released in 1994 while he was still at college and did well enough to earn them a distribution deal. After graduation Will and Rob moved to Atlanta where Rainforest Films were born with the aim of making films that would appeal to a Black audience who were eager to see films in different genres starring people of colour. So enter Trois which was the duo's first theatrical release and became the fastest million dollar grossing film distributed by African Americans. After that Hollywood came calling and Rainforest Films signed a deal with Columbia Tri-Star to produce and distribute urban films. Trois 2, The Gospel and Motives soon followed as well Lockdown which became one of Columbia Tri-Star's top selling independent releases. The more successful Will and Rob got the more clout they gained and pretty soon they had enough pull to attract top stars for their films. Hence Loretta Devine, Chris Brown, Idris Elba and Delroy Lindo for This Christmas, Chris Brown, Columbus Short and Meagan Good for Stomp the Yard (which is their biggest success and grossed $75 million) and Beyonce Knowles for Obsessed. So with the release of Takers it looks like Will Packer has come of age and I can only expect great things from him. Expect a sequel to Stomp the Yard in September and a screen version of Steve Harvey's book, Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man. Currently Will is working on a biopic of Kemba Smith - an inspiring lady who was sentenced for 24 years in jail but served six years after being released by Bill Clinton in 2000 after he stood down from the presidency. Will has been acknowledged on several high profile lists, including ten producer's to watch by Daily Variety magazine, The Giant 100 by Giant Magazine, Who�s Hot To Watch in 2008 by Jet Magazine and Black Enterprise�s Most Powerful Players Under 40.

Will Packer lives in Atlanta with his family.

This Christmas

Christmas is a season when all the cheesy films are put upon us, duds like Jingle All The Way, Home Alone and various sequels of sequels all come out for an airing. Frankly Christmas is a time when I avoid the cinema like the plague. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel due to the release of a film called This Christmas. Before you turn your nose up, hear me out. This Christmas is a warm film about the Whitfield family who for the first time in four years are set to spend Xmas together in their LA family home. The Whitfields are a large clan and like most big families they come with their dramas. The head of the family is Shirley 'Ma'Dere' played by Loretta Devine who awaits the emotional gathering of her beloved three daughters and three sons. Eldest of the clan is Lisa played by Regina King is an unfulfilled housewife who has sacrificed her own happiness for her family. She is married to an ambitious businessman who is pressuring her to persuade her family to sell the dry cleaning business that their mother runs. Eldest son, Quentin played by Idris Elba is a talented jazz musician who is on the run from gambling debts so seeks refuge at the family home. Kelli played by Sharon Leal is a hard nosed business women who comes to blows with Lisa and her husband. Claude played by Columbus Short is an active duty Marine who is harbouring a dark secret while younger brother Baby played by R&B singer, Chris Brown longs to break out of the family nest and pursue a musical career of his own. Youngest daughter Mel played by Lauren London is an unfocused college student who brings home her boyfriend, Devean played by Keith Robinson. Then there is Joseph played by Delroy Lindo - Ma'Dere' long time partner who clashes with Quentin on several ocassions. With the secrets and tensions at bay you wonder if the Whitfields will ever sit down and enjoy a Merry Christmas.

This film is extremely heart warming and really portrays what Christmas is like for Black families in the US and UK. The main elements are drama, food, laughter, music, dancing and more food. The film is written and directed by Preston A. Whitmore who also has a short part in the film. ER star, Mekhi Phifer is an Executive Producer here and plays a love interest to Lisa. This Christmas is very enjoyable and if you are a Tyler Perry fan or like classics such as Soul Food and Love Jones then you will adore this film.

This Christmas is released on 30th November.