Spark (1998 film)

1998 American film

Spark

DVD cover

Directed by| Garret Williams
Written by| Garret Williams
Produced by| Jim Walton
Andrew B. Hurwitz
Ruth Charney
Starring| Terrence Howard
Nicole Ari Parker
Sandra Ellis Lafferty
Brendan Sexton III
Distributed by| Warner Bros.

Release dates

* January 16, 1998 (1998-01-16) (Sundance)

* May 15, 1998 (1998-05-15) (United States)

Running time

| 103 minutes
Country| United States
Language| English

Spark is a 1998 psychological thriller film directed by Garret Williams in his directorial debut. It stars Terrence Howard, Nicole Ari Parker, Sandra Ellis Lafferty, and Brendan Sexton III. The film centers on a Black couple who become marooned in a backwater desert town after their car breaks down. Williams workshopped the film at the Sundance Filmmaker Labs.[1][2]

Spark had its world premiere at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival and also screened at Berlinale.

## Premise

[edit]

Byron and Nina, a young Black couple from Chicago, are driving a BMW en route to Los Angeles, where Nina will be attending college. They are driving through a desert when they experience a car breakdown after accidentally hitting a dog. Mooney, a sullen teenager and son of a local mechanic, befriends the couple and tows them to a small town where they are charged $500 for repairs. When the BMW dies again, Byron and Nina are forced to stay overnight in a motel, but the situation grows increasingly grim as Byron starts spending more time with Mooney, whose true colors start to reveal a disturbing town story.

## Cast

[edit]

* Terrence Howard as Byron
* Nicole Ari Parker as Nina
* Sandra Ellis Lafferty as Deb
* Brendan Sexton III as Mooney
* Timothy McNeil as Stuart
* Tom Gilroy as Jack
* George Gerdes as Earl
* Dewey Weber as Tobey
* William Prael as Deputy
* William Bell as Otis

## Release

[edit]

Spark premiered at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival in the American Spectrum section.[3] It also screened at Berlinale in February 1998.[4] At the 1998 Urbanworld Film Festival, the film was awarded the prize for Best Director for Garret Williams.[5]

Spark was released on DVD by Warner Bros. as part of the American Black Film Festival series on May 15, 2007.[6]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Garret Williams". Film Independent. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
2. ^ "Spark - Miscellaneous Notes". Turner Classic Movies Database. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
3. ^ "American Spectrum and World Cinema Section Offer Diverse Group of Films; Frontier and Midnight Films". IndieWire. December 4, 1997. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
4. ^ "Spark". berlinale.de. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
5. ^ Coe, Michelle (May 1, 2000). "Funder FAQ: The Minnesota Independent Film Fund". Independent Magazine. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
6. ^ Williams, Kam (May 2007). "DVD Review: Spark". blackfilm.com. Retrieved March 21, 2023.

## External links

[edit]

* Spark at IMDb
* Spark at Rotten Tomatoes