A Short Film Written & Directed by
ADAM LAZARRE-WHITE
1948… A brilliant, charming, young pool hustler and card-shark, “Form” FREDDY BLACK and his fiery, charismatic wife, DOROTHIA, must find their way in a harsh world. Under pressure to provide for his four small children, Freddie develops a revolutionary “hustle” and gets bankrolled for one of the highest stakes poker games known in the Carolinas. "Form Freddy" and his crew are put to the test…
A NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR: “FREDDY BLACK” is the true story of my grandfather, “Form Freddy White” in 1948, who was known to say, “Ain’t no reason you can’t take man’s money and sleep in house the same night.” He never allowed his children to play cards in the house and raised a family who all fought - and led - in the Civil Rights Movement. They all went to college and graduate school - my own father, Freddy’s second son, graduated from Yale Law School in the early 1970s. ”We believe FREDDY BLACK is an exciting adventure into a high-stakes, often dangerous world that has never been explored in film or TV: the world of Black professional gamblers and pool hustlers in post WWII America. But more importantly, the film is a tribute to the people – and there were many – not only gamblers, but entrepreneurs, artists, ministers, activists - who did not allow the subjugation of slavery and then Jim Crow to run their lives. They did not accept being in service to white people as the only job one could do. They didn’t accept what the virulent institutionalized and cultural racism “allowed” them to do - and be. They found ways to “be all they could be”. They not only survived, they flourished. They used their creativity and brilliance and built better lives for themselves and their children. My father, who grew up under vicious segregation in the south, has said: “The happiest people I knew growing up, were the people who lived ‘creative lives’.” This short film is a proof of concept for a feature to be shot late 2027. We appreciate all of your support!
Perks
Highlights
See all activity14Meet the team
Adam Lazzare-White (Writer/Director) Adam is known for his roles in The Gift, The Upshaws, Scandal, Grey’s Anatomy, Heroes, Living Single, The Parkers, Ocean’s 13 and his iconic turn as “Flynn” in The Temptations . He received an NAACP IMAGE Award Nomination as “Nathan Hastings” on The Young & The Restless. Adam wrote for NCIS: New Orleans , The Ropes (for Vin Diesel), produced, co-wrote and starred in a multiple festival winner, Forgiveness . Adam is currently creating a series with Dan Futterman ( Capote, Foxcatcher, In Treatment ) for Higher Ground with Jeffrey Wright as the lead; and directed the short film 200 YEARS for producer/writer Rob Fried ( Rudy, Collateral, Boondock Saints ) which reached the 3rd Round of Oscar voting.
Justin Jackson (Freddy/Producer) is an American actor based in Los Angeles. Raised by his mother and grandmother, he embraced creativity and the arts from a young age. After years of competing in sports, he found his way back to his first passion: storytelling. He draws from a powerful imagination, deep empathy, emotional intelligence, and natural charisma to bring authenticity, complexity, and emotional truth to every character he portrays. He can be seen in recurring roles on the upcoming television series New State of Mind and Chops, as well as in the independent feature films What God Does, A Cry in the Wilderness, and The Other Hollywood Story.
Charles Grant-DeBose (44/Producer) is an actor, former professional baseball player, and storyteller bringing discipline, authenticity, and a unique perspective to film and television. With credits including Netflix’s Alice in Borderland (Season 3), The God Keep, History: The Life of David Trujillo, All American, and All American: Homecoming, Charles continues to build his career with his upcoming starring role in AspireTV’s New State of Mind (2027). Through his passion for storytelling and community building, he is creating opportunities to develop impactful projects that connect with audiences and inspire meaningful change.
About the film
THE STORY
1948, North Carolina… A brilliant, charming, young pool hustler and card-shark, “Form” FREDDY BLACK, runs a small crew: his older ‘side-man’, driver and body-guard, ELMO, his soldiers “Juicy”, “Slo-Boy”, and his protégé, “44”. Freddy has three small boys, one suddenly diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis - and he’s got another baby on the way. He and his fiery, charismatic wife, DOROTHIA, must find a way to do better for themselves than the world did for them. They are smart. They are tough. And they will. But Freddie’s is suddenly sidelined from work, when he and his crew are almost killed, running a hustle. That brings on the biggest fight he and Dorothia ever had. However, Freddie’s brilliance is best under pressure, and he develops a revolutionary way of running a game on a game. He decides to take his shot. Freddy doesn’t like working for anybody, especially a white man - but he finally accepts being bankrolled by a high roller, so he can compete, playing in one of the highest stakes games known in the Carolinas. Form Freddy is put to the test…
THE WORLD
In a “time period” world, like many beloved shows of late, Peaky Blinders, Lessons In Chemistry, Lovecraft Country, Daisy Jones & The Six, Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Mad Men and The Crown - but unlike any we’ve ever seen on TV - FREDDY BLACK follows the adventures of a young, Black, professional gambler, hustler and pool shark in the 1940s and ‘50s in the American south. Never under the thumb of “the man”, like most of his peers who work menial jobs for survival, in the tobacco fields, on the railroad, or in service, Freddy thrives in Kinston, North Carolina. The ‘redlight district’ “Sugar Hill” serves soldiers from Fort Bragg every weekend, moonshine or “stump whiskey", gambling - and is one of the bigger stops on “the Chitlin’ Circuit”, hosting young Little Richard, Ray Charles, Cab Calloway, Etta James, Fats Domino, Count Basie and many more. Nicknamed “Form” for his athleticism and how he shoots pool so pretty - “Form” Freddy Black can count three decks of cards being dealt at a table while drinkin’ whiskey and smokin’ reefer all night - and keep everybody laughin’ at the same time. He and his whip-smart, fiery young wife DOROTHIA often bring home the prize for the best dancing couple if there’s a competition. Nobody can be Struttin’ or Lindy-Hoppin’ like Dorothia. But few have known real hunger like Dorothia. Freddy tells everybody she’s tougher than him. “Form” runs a tight crew, playing in card games up and down the eastern seaboard from home in North Carolina, to Richmond, Virginia, to Charleston, down to Atlanta, occasionally as far as New Orleans and Washington DC. Freddy has the reputation in Black gambling circles as mathematical “genius” for what he can do at a card table, and to be the greatest pool player anyone has ever seen. Wealthy white gamblers ‘in the know’, secretly bankroll him to play with their money, when he comes to town - always a very dangerous circumstance, but usually very lucrative. And Freddy don’t lack for confidence. He’s a ‘confidence man’. He hates violence, avoids it at all costs and doesn’t carry a gun. His “Second”, his confidant and bodyguard, “Elmo", his main cats, “Juicy” and “Slo-Boy” and his younger protégé, “44” carry the guns. Freddy considers charm his weapon. Freddy owns a nice, big, well-cared-for Oldsmobile, but not too flashy, because just like his modest clothes, flashy ain’t his game. “No need to call attention to yourself.” Freddy always has holiday gifts for his three young boys and baby girl. They've never missed a meal - and as well, he and Dorothia, discreetly share their family’s relative bounty with many others in ‘the project’, who are in need.
THE COMPS
Film: “The Sting” meets “Sinners” …&… TV: “The Wire” meets “Boardwalk Empire”
Activity
