By Darlene Donloe
Contributing Writer
SIGNAL HILL — Matty Rich is taking a break from “Bougie Gurlz Boutique,” an online show he has hosted with his wife, Reid Rich, on Facebook Live three times a week for the last five years, to talk about his latest film, “Birth Of The Black Underworld.”
The long-awaited film from Rich, which recently premiered at the Pan African Film Festival, has already gained recognition, winning the Audience Award at the Essence Film Festival.
Rich first gained fame when, at 19, he directed the 1991 indie film, “Straight Out Of Brooklyn.” The movie became a huge success after winning the Sundance Film Festival’s Grand Jury Prize Award.
Samuel Goldwin distributed the film, which won the Independent Spirit Award, NAACP Image Award, Producers Guild Award and Big Apple Award. Shortly thereafter, Sidney Poitier and Bill Duke inducted Rich into the Directors Guild of America.
Rich said he first became interested in filmmaking after watching Poitier in the classic film, “A Raisin in the Sun.”
“It just hit me,” he said. “It was so moving. It was a powerful film. Martin Scorsese’s ‘Raging Bull’ also hit me. Those two movies were eye-openers. It was like God talking to me.”
At 21, with the same determination and belief in himself, Rich followed his freshman success with the sophomoric directorial effort, “The Inkwell,” which also became a cult classic.
Then, to the amazement of his fans, Rich took a 30-year hiatus from directing and pursued other interests.
Now, he’s back in the director’s chair with “Birth Of The Black Underworld,” described as a gripping drama and heartfelt love story. Rich wrote, directed and produced the film, in which he also stars alongside Frank Stallone, Jack Scalia and Rhonda Morman.
“I play Satterfield,” Rich said. “It’s me. There is no one else who could tell this story but me. I can breathe life into this character. This is the best performance I have done as an adult. This is my finest work.”
Set in the 1930s, “Birth Of The Black Underworld” takes viewers on a journey into the makings of the Black underworld and the evolving mindsets of a pack of young, would-be gangsters tied to the mafia.
The group is led by Satterfield Jackson (Rich), an orphan taken in by respected Italian mobster Marco Ricci (Stallone), who has ties to the Italian and Jewish mafias. Marco and Satterfield develop a father-son bond — and like any father would do — Ricci grooms Satterfield for the real world: The Underworld.
“This story has always been brewing inside of me,” said Rich, whose real name is Matthew Satterfield Richardson. “There was something about the story that moved me. I like to tell family stories. It’s all about family dynamic stories.
“Everything I do has to have a family component. At the movie’s end, I acknowledge my grandfather, Satterfield Richardson. He helped the community in New York and Baltimore. He wasn’t a mobster. He was more about community, uplifting and feeding people.”
While the movie deals with dark undertones, mobsters, and the underworld, Rich says love is at the film’s core.
“It’s all love,” he said. “It’s about love between a husband and a wife, who both did their best to help the community. They did bad things to bad people but tried to do good overall.”
Rich said the movie took two years to complete for various reasons.
“One of the reasons is we didn’t have a pot of money,” said Rich, who teaches virtual screenplay workshops in Ghana and Kenya. “It was more about the actors understanding my passion and helping me deliver my passion project. They knew my financial constraints. The same crew was there for me for two years. Also, the cast had other obligations.”
Rich shot the film only on weekends.
“The cast and crew were incredible, and their love and confidence in the project made me determined to finish it,” he said. “When I think about the timing, it’s only God. Get the money … shoot. Get the money …. shoot. The hardest thing was holding on to a character for two years. I wouldn’t advise that for anyone.”
Even with no money, Rich said he continued writing, scheduling, praying and using his paychecks from teaching at the American Film Institute for five years and writing and directing for the Sundance Film Festival Collab online platform.
“And here we are … at the finish line,” said Rich, who is currently in talks with distributors. “It’s my hope and prayer that the public will see the film before the summer.”
While some think using one’s own money to finance a project is a mistake, Rich believes just the opposite.
“If you believe in yourself, then bet on yourself,” he said. “Who else is going to believe in you? I hate waiting for someone to tell me yes. The only way I know I will get it is from me.
“I can’t wait for somebody. It could be a long wait. If you believe in you, go for it. It’s just money. You’ll get some more. At the end, you can say, ‘I did it.’”
Rich prefers not to reveal the movie’s budget and sees “Birth of the Black Underworld” contributing to the broader conversation about Black experiences and cultures.
“It’s something for the culture to look at and experience,” he said. “Audience members said they like returning to when we had that togetherness. Even though they were gangsters. I wanted to bring classiness and nostalgia about where we once were. I hope it helps the culture.”
During his 30-year sabbatical from filmmaking, Rich, now in his early 50s, developed several television projects.
He wrote a Tupac [Shakur] bio project for HBO and a Subway Scholar project with Whitney Houston for Showtime Network before a fateful meeting with Ubisoft, one of the largest gaming companies in the world.
“They had a game that needed a writer and a director,” he said. “I went to Paris and met with them. It was the first time I was entering the game world. I called it “187 Ride or Die.”
“From doing these projects, I got notoriety back in Hollywood. ‘187 Ride or Die’ did very well. I came back to the States and developed other projects. Then, I realized it was time to direct.
Bringing a film to life that’s been burning inside me for more than a decade feels good.”
Darlene Donloe is a freelance reporter for Wave Newspapers who covers South Los Angeles. She can be reached at ddonloe@gmail.com.
