Two films about America’s first black President in one year.

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What a time to be alive. Following its big premiere at Sundance, audiences were captivated by Southside With You, the story of President Barack Obama’s first date with First Lady Michelle. The biopic hit theaters last month starring Parker Sawyers and Tika Sumpter. We saw a glimpse into the young hearts with a passion for social change in Chicago, both unaware that they would slowly pave the way for upcoming generations, hand in hand.


Now, the lens is focusing in on Mr. Obama eight years earlier, pre-Michelle. Barry, a film by Vikram Ghandhi highlighting 20-year-old Obama, premiered for the first time last week at Toronto International Film Festival. Netflix scooped up worldwide rights to the breakout picture at TIFF. Austrailian actor, Devon Terrell stars in the indie drama as young Barack, a transfer student at Columbia University in 1981.


According to a review by Variety, the film details the world’s most powerful man that we’ve come to know as “a very different sort of cat, a young man you feel you scarcely know at all, because he doesn’t totally know himself”. Basically, he’s just like every other young person in college..unsure about life. He’ll deal with race, a college love affair, and abandonment issues from his father. Ashley Judd appears as Ann Dunham, Barry’s mother. Straight Outta Compton star, Jason Mitchell is also in the film as a Columbia student.


Netflix has not announced when Barry will be made available.



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