November 28, 2025
Actor Brandon Hammond is keeping the legacy of the 1997 cult classic “Soul Food” alive with a Sunday dinner event and upcoming documentary.
Actor Brandon Hammond is working to keep the legacy of the cult classic film “Soul Food” alive through a recent Sunday dinner event and an upcoming documentary celebrating the film’s 30th anniversary.
On Nov. 23, Hammond — best known as Ahmad in the 1997 film — reunited with Vivica A. Fox (Maxine) and Morgan Méchelle Smith (Kelly) for a special “Soul Food Sunday Dinner” event. In partnership with Cult Classics, 1010 Wine & Events, and R.C. Bonds PR, the evening featured a screening of “Soul Food” at the historic Miracle Theater, an intimate Q&A with Hammond and Fox, and a soulful Sunday dinner hosted by 1010 Wine & Events.
Created to honor one of Black cinema’s most beloved films and capture the family warmth of the holidays, the event aimed to revive the tradition of Sunday Dinner and introduce the legacy Of “Soul Food” to a new generation. For Hammond, the event offered a chance to reunite with his onscreen “mom,” whom he still speaks with regularly as they collaborate on the upcoming Soul Food documentary.
“It was amazing. You know, it’s funny because I talk to Vivica pretty regularly,” Hammond told BLACK ENTERPRISE. “So it’s always good to get together with her. Even though we talk, at least, you know, probably every other week, especially now that she’s an executive producer of the Soul Food reunion doc. So we were even conversing a lot on business.”
“But that’s mom, you know, I’ve known her most of my life,” he added with a smile.
The documentary has been two years in the making, Hammond shared. With initial plans of simply hosting a reunion event for the film’s 25th anniversary in 2022, Hammond spoke with his business partner, Genesis Scott, who helped spark the idea for a reunion documentary that catches up with the entire cast to discuss the impact of the film and its continued prominence within the Black community.
“This is like my love letter to a movie that has meant so much to me both personally and professionally,” Hammond said, after making nods to the accolades that came after his standout role in the film.
Hammond says that while fans have enjoyed reunions of beloved ’90s shows like “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” “Martin,” and “Friends,” cult-favorite films rarely get the same spotlight. He believes Soul Food is the perfect movie to bring people back together — a story that resonated deeply with its cast, crew, and audiences who saw their own families reflected on screen.
“Soul Food is also right along with those other projects on like legacy IP. And we should celebrate this film,” Hammond declared.
He credits Fox for being the first to champion the project, providing early investment that allowed him to film an interview with Irma P. Hall, the legendary Big Mama. Since then, cast members including Nia Long, Vanessa Williams, Mekhi Phifer, Michael Beach, and others have joined in. After Hall’s interview, Hammond says the support spread “like a domino effect.”
“The entire cast agreed to be in it. Everybody, you know, Michael, Vanessa, Mekhi, Nia, of course, Viv,” Hammond shared.
The challenge, he says, is coordinating the packed schedules of so many high-profile cast members and getting them together in one place.
“They’re so iconic and busy and they’re always working. So it’s been a little bit trying to coordinate that,” Hammond said.
The documentary also holds personal significance for Hammond, who plans to share his own story through the film, including why he stepped away from acting after his breakout role in Soul Food.
“The documentary is not only a reunion, but I’m also going to be going into my own personal journey, because so many people had questions as to why I stopped acting,” he shared. “And for so long, I didn’t really give answers to that question. But in the documentary, we really go into it. We really go into my journey personally as well. And we connect how the ‘Soul Food’ film and my ‘Soul Food’ family have helped me to get to this place of kind of taking my power back, if you will, and telling my story.”
As the film’s 30th anniversary nears, Hammond is pushing to complete the documentary in time for fans to enjoy. However, with the current economic challenges impacting the entertainment industry, he notes that additional funding is still needed to bring the project across the finish line.
“We’re about 30%, 40% through the film. But we are looking for support, like investors, fans,” Hammond said. And you know, we financially, you know, to finish the film, to complete it, and to get it out by 2027 to coincide with the 30th anniversary. Look, we need that fan support. People, I know they want it. But you know, this industry is in a weird place right now. So it’s been a little difficult to get it to the finish line, but I know we will. So please, just anybody out there wanting to help, please reach out to me and anybody connected to [the film].”
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