‘BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions’ Pulled From Sundance and Berlin Over Director’s Alleged ‘Secret’ Cut

Participant has pulled the indie film “BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions” from screenings scheduled for the Sundance and Berlin Film Festivals over an alleged “secret” cut made by director Kahlil Joseph without the company’s knowledge, a legal complaint from Participant reveals.

In the letter, filed on Tuesday, Participant said it was “shocked” to learn on Jan. 17 that Joseph — a filmmaker who contributed to Beyonce’s “Lemonade” film — had worked on a different version of “BLKNWS” that was due to be screened at CAA without telling the company.

“Given that Mr. Joseph delivered the film to Participant in November 2024, and Participant submitted that version to Sundance in reliance that it was the final cut of the film, it is completely unacceptable that Mr. Joseph continued to purport to make changes to the film,” the letter says.

Participant alleges that Joseph submitted the new cut to both Sundance and Berlin, which will no longer be showing the film. The movie, which was written, directed and produced by Joseph, follows a West African curator and scholar whose magnum opus leads her to the heart of the Atlantic Ocean, drawing a journalist into a journey “that shatters her understanding of consciousness and time,” according to the official synopsis in the Sundance program.

Joseph did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.

In a statement, Sundance said it was “deeply disappointed” to be informed by Participant that the film was being pulled from the festival, calling it “a radiant and immersive cinematic experience which we were looking forward to premiering for our audiences this Friday.”

The letter alleges that Joseph was required to submit a final cut of the film in June 2022, and that the delays – which they put on Joseph – caused A24 to drop out as co-financier and distributor.

The letter continues: “Participant cannot work with a director that it can no longer trust and who is actively working to circumvent Participant and to frustrate the planned and agreed debut of the film. Participant will therefore be pulling the film from the Sundance and Berlin film festivals and reserves all rights to seek recourse from Mr. Joseph and his related entities for their contractual breaches and wrongdoing.”

Participant, the studio behind films like “Spotlight” and “Green Book,” formally shuttered last April, but it owns the copyright to “BLKNWS” and currently exists as a holdings company for the studio’s library.

The post ‘BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions’ Pulled From Sundance and Berlin Over Director’s Alleged ‘Secret’ Cut appeared first on TheWrap.