August Russell’s independent film production company to revive the 1920s all black, religious musical ‘Hallelujah’
August Russell is gearing up with his team to produce and develop a remake of the 1920s all black, religious musical ‘Hallelujah’. The film has recently been put into the public domain as of 2025. Hallelujah is a 1929 musical drama about Zeke, a Southern sharecropper who becomes a traveling preacher after a tragic accident involving his brother.
His life is complicated by his infatuation with a seductive city woman named Chick, which leads to a rigged gambling game and the death of his brother Spunk. The film, directed by King Vidor, was a groundbreaking early example of a Hollywood production with an all-Black cast and musical score.
The film is still in the early stages, but it will be produced through Good Parable Productions, which is the film division of the CRW (which stands for Culturally Relevant Worship).
