As conversations about whether black American films travel continue, here’s more to consider.

Congratulations to Tommy Oliver, whose feature film debut, the drama 1982, won the top prize at the US In Progress showcase in Paris over the weekend!

The film was also recently one of 8 deserving projects selected to receive a total of $340,000 in funding from the San Francisco Film Society / Kenneth Rainin Foundation Filmmaking (SFFS/KRF) grants, so it continues to pile up awards and acclaim with this US In Progress recognition.

US in Progress is a joint initiative between the American Film Festival in Wroclaw, Poland, the Champs-Elysées Film Festival in Paris and Black Rabbit Film. It is the first and only professional event dedicated to indie American cinema which happens twice a year.

The point of US in Progress is to present American independent films in their post-production phase to potential European buyers in order to encourage their distribution and broadcast across Europe.

Movies that were featured at recent US in Progress events have gone on to be selected for festivals such as Sundance 2013, the Berlinale 2013, SXSW 2013 and Tribeca 2013.

Recapping… Oliver’s 1982 is based on a true story that revolves around a black father whose wife suffers from a crack cocaine addiction, and his efforts to protect his 10-year old daughter from having to experience life as the child of a drug addicted mother, while also trying to help her (the mother/his wife) become clean again.

The story is set in 1982 in Philadelphia, at the very onset of the crack epidemic, and stars Hill Harper, Sharon Leal, Bokeem Woodbine, Lala Anthony, Quinton Aaron, with Wayne Brady and Ruby Dee.

Principal photography took place in Philly last summer, with Tommy Oliver directing from his own screenplay, as well as producing, along with Hill Harper and Heather Rae.