Star-Studded Film Directed by the Late Tommy Ford, "Switching Lanes," Now Available on UMC

— Also Coming to UMC this Month: “Light Girls,” Counterpart to the Compelling Bill Duke Documentary “Dark Girls” and more —

Los Angeles, CA — A star-studded portrayal of racism and segregation in a modern day town, Switching Lanes is now available exclusively on UMC – Urban Movie Channel as part of UMC’s “Back to School” campaign for the month of September.

One of the final projects created by the late Tommy Ford, the film tells the story of two teenage girls living in Summerston, a small southern town where unspoken racism is still the norm. Unsuspectingly, they set out to improve that reality as they develop a friendship, working together to change the long standing unspoken rule of “separate but equal” in their town. When a looming 15 year old secret shared by their mothers and the former Mayor of Summerston is revealed, the girls’ friendship is tested along with the tolerance and stability of the entire town. Directed by and starring Ford, the cast also features Jamila Thompson, Victoria Staley (Being Mary Jane), Terri J. Vaughn (Meet the Browns, The Steve Harvey Show), Marla Maples, Michael Lerner (Glee), Kim Fields (Living Single), Angie Stone, Fred Hammond, and Kenny Lattimore. Available at www.umc.tv, UMC is the first premium subscription streaming service that showcases quality African American and urban entertainment across all genres from RLJ Entertainment (NASDAQ: RLJE).

In keeping with UMC’s “Back to School” theme, on Friday, September 22, 2017, UMC will premiere the Marc Cayce-directed high school drama, Detention Day. In the film, twelve high school students with nothing in common are faced with spending a Saturday detention together in their high school cafeteria. At first, they argue and hate each other. However, after being stuck together for hours they begin to open up to each other and reveal their problems. After several hours in detention they realize that while some of their values and morals are very different, at the end of the day they have more in common than they imagined. Detention will change their overall perspectives of each other and of their lives overall.

Finally, on Friday, September 29, 2017, UMC will also add Light Girls, the Bill Duke directed counterpart to the 2011 documentary Dark Girls. The film, which initially aired on the OWN Network in early 2015, presents an in-depth look into the lives of light-skinned African-American women, addressing the prejudices they’ve faced along with the seemingly hierarchical nature of the society. Guest appearances include Essence Atkins, Raven Symone, Amber Rose, Lisa Raye-Mccoy, Erica Hubbard, Cynthia Kaye Williams, Former Editor-in-Chief of The Source Kim Osario, and more.

About Urban Movie Channel (UMC)
Created by Robert L. Johnson, Chairman of RLJ Entertainment and founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET), Urban Movie Channel (UMC) is the first subscription streaming service created for African American and urban audiences in North America that features quality urban content and showcases feature films, documentaries, original series, stand-up comedy, and other exclusive content. UMC is Available on iOS, Apple TV, Amazon Channels, Roku, Amazon Fire TV & Fire TV Stick. At www.UMC.tv, UMC offers a free 7-day trial and thereafter is just $4.99/month or $49.99/year. Keep up with UMC on Facebook at Facebook.com/UrbanMovieChannel and on Twitter/Instagram @WatchUMC.

PRESS CONTACT:
Farah Noel
301-830-6247
fnoel@umc.tv