THE STORY – Preeminent West African curator and scholar Funmilayo Akechukwu’s magnum opus, “The Resonance Field,” leads her to the heart of the Atlantic Ocean, drawing a journalist into a journey that shatters her understanding of consciousness and time.
THE CAST – Shaunette Renée Wilson, Kaneza Schaal, Hope Giselle, Peter Jay Fernandez, Penny Johnson Jerald & Zora Casebere
THE TEAM – Kahlil Joseph (Director/Writer), Saidiya Hartman & Irvin Hunt (Writers)
THE RUNNING TIME – 113 Minutes
Khalil Joseph’s “BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions“ was one of the most anticipated films debuting at Sundance 2025. However, the film made headlines for the wrong reasons before its premiere. Its financier, Participant Media, decided to withdraw it from the festival after accusing Joseph of presenting a “secret cut“ at pre-Sundance press screenings that differed from the version he initially submitted for consideration. Fortunately, James Shani, a producer known for his work on “The Apprentice,“ stepped in and purchased the film from Participant. This allowed Joseph to present what he calls his “polished print“ at Sundance. Once audiences finally experienced Joseph’s feature-length adaptation of the installation of the same name, it was clear that the wait had been worth it.
In the 2018 installation “BLKNWS“ (which was previously showcased at events like the 2019 Venice Biennale and the 2020 Sundance Film Festival’s New Frontier), Joseph combines archival footage with original content that changes rapidly, mimicking the style of a cable news network. This clever and thought-provoking piece criticizes the “news-creation industrial complex“ for its simplistic portrayals of Black people.
“Terms & Conditions“ builds on Joseph’s work from seven years ago. In addition to featuring some material from the earlier “BLKNWS,“ he incorporates his family’s archival footage, reenactments of the life of W.E.B. Du Bois, and an original storyline involving an undercover reporter filing a report on the Transatlantic Biennial.
Joseph, known for directing impressionistic music videos like Beyoncé’s “Lemonade“ (2016) and Kendrick Lamar’s “Good Kid, m.A.A.d City” (2014), instills a nonlinear, frenetic-pacing to “Terms & Conditions.“ One moment is a display of a conversation between James Baldwin and Nikki Giovanni before transitioning to Joseph, discussing his upbringing in Harlem through text. Collaborating with scholars Saidiya Hartman, author of “Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments,“and Irvin Hunt, Joseph aims to fill in the gaps in the historical archive. They not only use the Africana Encyclopedia to connect fictional and factual histories but also as a framework for understanding the world from an Afro-centric perspective.
Similar to the generative editing seen in the shape-shifting documentary “Eno“ (2024), the editors of “Terms & Conditions,“ Joseph, Luke Lynch, and Oscar winner Paul Rogers (known for 2022’s “Everything Everywhere All At Once“), infuse the final cut with a playful inventiveness. Joseph simultaneously employs text and edits as a source of humor, melancholy, and wonder. For example, at the beginning of “Terms & Conditions,“ he inserts a Denzel Washington meme alongside a fictional FBI warning after stating that this is not a documentary. This interplay between images and words conveys to the audience that they should not take anything at face value when entering Joseph’s realm. Once viewers step into “BLKNWS,“ it gradually transforms into an endless, multiverse video game experience reminiscent of “Rec Room,“ where the imagery remains engaging whether viewed in a theater, on a phone, laptop, or VR headset.
“Terms & Conditions“ is a jaw-dropping expedition into the search for freedom and how information is manufactured and disseminated. It’s one of those films where you find new information in repetitive viewings. During the Q&A session, Josep mentioned that he is a filmmaker, similar to David Lynch, who prefers not to explain everything to the audience. We hope a distributor acquires “Terms & Conditions“ soon so that viewers can gradually unravel the layers of Joseph’s narrative.
