Well whadaya know – right before the world premiere for Chris Rock’s “Good Hair” documentary which is set to happen this Friday, documentary filmmaker Regina Kimbell screams whiplash by alleging Rock stole her concept for his forthcoming film about African-American hairstyles.
According to the complaint for copyright infringement and unfair competition, Regina Kimbell’s 2005 documentary “My Nappy Roots” is the basis for Rock’s “Good Hair.”
In Kimbell’s feature-length film, celebrities and others discuss such hair techniques and styles as the conk, press and curl, the Afro, the Jheri curl, and dreadlocks. The film won the best documentary prize at the 2007 Hollywood Black Film Festival.
Rock’s documentary, “Good Hair,” also uses celebrities to examine the lengths black women go to to keep their hair looking more like the hair of Europeans.
The lawsuit contends Kimbell, a Los Angeles resident, screened her film for Rock in 2007 on the set of Rock’s TV series, “Everybody Hates Chris.” It was there, she alleges, that Rock got the idea for his own film on the same subject.
The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles, seeks “no less than $5 million” in damages and attorneys’ fees. source
I knew it would come to this and I’m somewhat happy it finally did. Not that I’m on either side, because I actually think it’s rather funny and kinda pathetic after personally having some conflicts with Regina Kimbell in the past for introducing “My Nappy Roots” to readers of an older site of mine. But contrary to some people belief, Chris Rock’s documentary “Good Hair” is not the first to “bring it” on black women and hair and it’s only fair for people to know.
UPDATED: 10/8/2009 (Chris Rock Responds)
radaronline.com has managed to get a response on the allegations from Chris Rock himself. You can read it here.
[mashshare]
