Boxoffice Pro Q1 2021

On Screen WE ARE PARABLE
with cheerleaders and a makeshift
basketball court) and the “Spike is 60” film
festival, where (for example), a double
bill of Do the Right Thing and Crooklyn
was coupled with a block party. The
festival had already been programmed
and scheduled when We Are Parable got
an email from the man himself with an
unexpected offer. Spike Lee would be in
town for a few days. Did they want to do
an event together?
“It’s one of those pinch-yourself
moments,” recalls Andrews. We Are
Parable had three days to secure a cinema,
put together an event, and sell tickets.
(Which they did, to a 400-strong, sold-out
crowd.) “We had to move heaven and earth
to make it happen,” Andrews says. “But
people were so appreciative of being able
to meet him. He did a wonderful meet and
greet afterwards, signing memorabilia,
signing books, taking pictures. The man
is so much for the people. … We still have
people come up to us now, saying, ‘That
was amazing. I never thought I’d meet
Spike Lee, and you guys did that.’”
The Spike Lee event marked a turning
point for We Are Parable, and the fledgling
exhibitors knew at once that they
“We created this raw,
immersive moment within the
BFI Southbank. That was a
moment where people really
saw themselves represented—
not only in the film, but
also in the way we put the
experience together.”
“want[ed] to build on that momentum as
much as possible,” Andrews says. “That’s
when we really started to think of our
organization, of what we built, as a
business.” They became more focused
on funding applications and different
revenue streams. Their boosted visibility
and reputation as a result of the Lee event
helped them make connections and form
relationships—key among them with the
British Film Institute. It was the BFI who
asked We Are Parable, in 2017, if they’d
like to work together on the first-ever
public screening of Black Panther, held in
February of the following year.
While planning the Black Panther
event, Anthony and Teanne had not yet
seen the film—but they “knew what the
film would mean to our audience” and
felt a responsibility to get it right. They
came up with the idea of reimagining
the BFI Southbank in London as a royal
space—not as Wakanda itself, but a
representation of what the regal T’Challa
would expect to see walking into a cinema.
“We had interior designers. We had jewelry
makers. We had booksellers. We had
fashion designers, music, art.” As well
as an exhibition showing famous Black
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