Rome Flynn as Frank Lucas in Godfather of Harlem. Provided photo.

The crime-ridden streets of 1960s New York City are coming to Sarasota. On Friday, April 11, the Sarasota Film Festival will premiere the first two episodes of Season 4 of Godfather of Harlem, the hit crime drama on MGM +. In attendance at the sold-out screening will be creator and showrunner Chris Brancato, cast member Rome Flynn and executive producer Michael Panes. Brancato is set to receive the festival’s Innovation in Television award and Flynn, who is new to the show’s fourth season, will receive the Rising Star award.

Godfather of Harlem stars Forest Whitaker as the real-life gangster Bumpy Johnson, an American crime boss who operated in the streets of Harlem from the 1930s to the 1960s. In Godfather of Harlem, Broncato tells the fictionalized story of Johnson’s return to Harlem in the early 1960s after a stint in prison to find his neighborhood ruined by crime. Upon his return, Johnson must battle with the Italian mob for control of his neighborhood, striking up an alliance with Malcolm X along the way.

Season 4 of the series starts in the wake of Malcom X’s assassination, where warring factions fight for control of Harlem amidst the Civil Rights movement. The season also introduces famed gangster Frank Lucas—portayed by Denzel Washington in American Gangster—who is new to the city and is looking to make a name for himself.

“Season 4 is a bit of a reboot of the show, because for people that have watched the first three seasons, they know that Malcom X’s tenure has come to an end, so what happens next? Bumpy and Malcom’s friendship was a central part of the narrative,” says Brancato. “In the wake of Malcom’s assassination, the Black Panthers start to take root in Harlem and across the country and Bumpy will find that his daughter Elise is attracted to that cause. Bumpy is going to be willingly or unwillingly thrust into the formation of a militant radical party whose goal is to protect against police brutality and perhaps ultimately affect revolution.”

With much of Godfather of Harlem being rooted in reality, Brancato and his team work to strike a balance between creating a dramatic narrative that is faithful to the time period the show is based in. “We don’t have the responsibility of following actual film footage—we weren’t there for those conversations,” says Brancato. “We have to imagine what they would have been like.” 

Rome Flynn as Frank Lucas in Godfather of Harlem. Provided photo.

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