Hollywood Shuffle (1987)
⏰ Doors 7:00pm 🎬 Series: Black Resistance "An actor limited to stereotypical roles because of his ethnicity, dreams of making it big as a highly respected performer. As he makes his rounds, the film takes a satiric look at African American actors in Hollywood.
Feb 03, 2026, 7:00 PM
Studio Two Three, 109 W 15th St, Richmond, VA 23224, USA
Join Nowhere Cinema in honoring Black Resistance with a free screening of Hollywood Shuffle!
"This debut feature by Robert Townsend is an ingenious satirical landmark that takes riotous aim at the typecasting of Black actors in 1980s Hollywood. The writer-director-star’s megawatt charisma propels Hollywood Shuffle, the hilarious tale of a struggling actor attempting to break into an industry where the only roles available to Black performers seem to be hustlers, butlers, and slaves—forcing him to choose between selling out and maintaining his self-respect. Lampooning everything from film noir to zombie flicks to sitcoms, Townsend and cowriter Keenen Ivory Wayans cannily turn the frustrations of the Black artist into a subversively funny pop-culture critique." – Criterion Collection
This screening will be subtitled.
CW: Hollywood Shuffle (1987) has a few jokes in poor taste, including a homophobic slur. Largely though, the movie takes aim at Black stereotypes and racist caricatures that plague American culture and Hollywood. If you have any questions, please email nowherecinema@pm.me.