After its successful run in the film festival circuit, the cast of “Paper Line” is coming back together for the sequel, “Paper Line: Bragging Rights.”
“Paper Line,” the brainchild of writer and director Ryan Watson, follows seven pledges striving to join Alpha Omega Sigma, a secret fraternity of Black martial artists at a historically Black college in Florida. This brotherhood adheres to a strict code of silence and discipline, inspired by the martial arts prowess of civil rights-era Black activist groups. The film features nine Black belt-level martial artists, all of whom are African American.
In the sequel “Paper Line: Bragging Rights,” set two years after the original, former pledges Rodney and Eddie challenge Desmond and charter member Raheem to a 2-on-2 match to determine the top martial artists of Alpha Omega Sigma fraternity.
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The film sees the return of Michael “Quick” McGee as Rodney, Cequence Henry as Eddie, Alvin Eberhardt as Desmond, William-Thomas Coneys as Raheem, Quintrell Hall as Luther II, and Garrett Brumfield as Master Brumfield.
“After much success at film festivals across the country, I’m excited for the second installment of ‘Paper Line’ to hit the festival circuit,” said Ryan Watson, the film’s producer and writer. “The ‘Paper Line’ film series is a martial arts cinematic experience featuring a never-before-seen take on Black fraternity initiation. Often in cinema, we see Black martial artists performing with martial artists of a different ethnicity, but it’s rare that they get to work in scenes with each other. Martial arts have been a positive part of the Black experience in America for generations, and this film series brings this to the forefront.”
The upcoming short, produced by Marissa Burrows, will compete in the Urban Action Showcase International Action Film Festival.
The original 49-minute extended short garnered ten awards at 15 festivals from late 2022 through 2023 and is streaming online on Amazon Prime, Mansa, Freevee, and Tubi.