We Are Kings (film)
| We Are Kings | |
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Release poster for We Are Kings
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| Directed by | Toby Hubner |
| Produced by | Robert Spring Toby Hubner |
| Screenplay by | Toby Hubner |
| Starring | Sammy Blue Bianca Ryan Rita Graham Jonathon Boogie Long Pryce |
| Music by | Sammy Blue Jonathon Boogie Long Bianca Ryan Rita Graham Pryce |
| Cinematography | Joshua Sampson |
| Edited by | Claire Vandewalle |
| Distributed by | Indie Rights |
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Release date
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Running time
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77 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
We Are Kings is an independent feature film starring Sammy Blue, Bianca Ryan, Rita Graham, Jonathon Boogie Long and Pryce. It was directed by Toby Hubner.
The film was crowdsourced beginning with a Kickstarter campaign. It premiered in Los Angeles, California, on September 19, 2014.
Mississippi bluesman I. Be King and his wife Lilly eke out a meager living playing music at their "juke club" The Blues Bucket, but they've fallen behind in their lease payments. When the club is repossessed by the bank, the two move into their Winnebago (also called The Blues Bucket), but the stress proves too much for Lilly and a stroke sends her to the hospital. King then heads to Chicago hoping to score the recording deal that he expects will save his wife and their club.
In Chicago, the executive who offered the deal decides instead to dismiss King, calling his music "not commercial enough". King gives up, gets drunk, and passes out in a parking lot and nearly freezes to death. Two homeless musicians, Layla and Dustin, are guided by an angel to save King and, after taking on Sam, a runaway rapper, they begin traveling around the Chicago area, playing impromptu gigs in an effort to raise the money needed to help King get back to Mississippi and make everything right.
Their journey is complicated when police pull over the motor home to take Layla and Sam into custody. Each had been reported missing and felony charges were involved.
Co-producer-writer-director Toby Hubner financed his film under the working title We Be Kings with the help of a Kickstarter campaign that ran for three weeks starting in February 2012. Nearly US$9,000 was pledged, surpassing the goal of $7,500.
Kings was originally to star Chicago blues legend Magic Slim, but Slim fell ill and died just as production was getting started. Blue, once dubbed "the Crown Prince of the Blues" by Muddy Waters, took over the role and "did a remarkable job with little preparation and under tough circumstances." Ryan, the first winner of America's Got Talent, signed on in 2012. Blues vocalist Grana Louise was originally set to co-star as Lilly and Quinn Sullivan was to play Dustin; they were replaced by Graham (formerly of The Raelettes) and Long, respectively.
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