When comedy, culture, and Soul Train collide.
Daryl’s life is going nowhere fast—until he discovers a family secret with a beat: his grandfather once danced on Soul Train in 1971. What begins as a quirky revelation spins into a wild search for identity, legacy, and inspiration. Guided (and tormented) by muses, madness, and the rhythms of the past, Daryl stumbles through the comedy of cultural collision—and finds himself writing the story he was always meant to tell.
Incognegro is a darkly funny, deeply soulful love letter to rhythm, legacy, and the search for inner truth.
Daryl is a writer on the brink of giving up—his career stalled, his inspiration gone, and the world moving on without him. Then he uncovers a repressed memory, a family secret: his grandfather once danced on Soul Train in 1971, a moment in history that still ripples through his family’s legacy.
Desperate for meaning, Daryl dives headfirst into the rhythms of the past while juggling the chaos of his present. Along the way, he’s guided—and tormented—by muses, larger-than-life characters, and the relentless beat of a story that refuses to let him quit.
Both hilarious and heartfelt, Incognegro is a dark comedy about identity, legacy, and the redemptive power of finding your rhythm. At its core, it’s a love letter wrapped in soul—a story about the secrets we inherit, the truths we must face, and the music that connects us across generations.
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ritter Statement:
Incognegro was born from my fascination with rhythm — not just in music, but in storytelling, identity, and the way we carry family secrets across generations.
At its heart, this is a dark comedy about what happens when the past refuses to stay buried. Daryl, a blocked writer, uncovers a repressed memory that his grandfather once danced on Soul Train in 1971. That discovery forces him to stumble between comedy, culture, and identity in a way that is both hilarious and haunting.
As a writer and veteran, I’ve often explored resilience and legacy in my work. With Incognegro, I wanted to step into a different rhythm — one that blends humor with cultural history, and surreal muses with raw emotion. It’s a story about laughter and pain, about how art gives us the courage to face the truths we hide from ourselves, and about the way music connects us even when words fail.
For me, this script is more than entertainment. It’s a love letter wrapped in soul — an exploration of how comedy can open the door to inner truth, and how even the heaviest legacy can find redemption in rhythm.
Biography
Steven B. Newman served over 20 years as a U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Beret) soldier and is a 100% permanently disabled combat veteran. Since retiring, he has become an award-winning screenwriter, filmmaker, and novelist whose work has placed in prestigious competitions including the GI Film Festival, Colorado International Film Festival, Houston Comedy Film Festival, and Final Draft’s Big Break. His stories reflect the realism, heart, and spirit of America’s warriors, but also stretch across genres—from true stories and historical dramas to speculative science fiction and soulful comedies. Through his Origin Works studio, Newman is developing a slate of screenplays that blend authenticity, legacy, and innovation, always with a focus on telling stories that matter.