Exclusive: Director Boots Riley and Lakeith Stanfield talk I Love Boosters
Hitting theaters on May 22 from Neon is writer-director Boots Riley’s I Love Boosters, starring Keke Palmer as Corvette, LaKeith Stanfield, Naomi Ackie, Demi Moore, Hannah Alline, with Don Cheadle, Eiza González, Will Poulter, Poppy Liu, and Taylour Paige.
In Boots Riley’s I Love Boosters, the plot follows a trio of professional shoplifters—Corvette (Keke Palmer), Mariah (Taylour Paige), and Sade (Sade)—known as the Velvet Gang. Operating in the Bay Area, they boost high-end designer clothes and resell them at massive discounts in a self-described movement of "fast fashion philanthropy"
Their routine turns into a massive conflict when they target cutthroat, elite fashion maven Christie Smith (Demi Moore), whose empire and diva control become the focus of the gang's heists. When Christie publicly insults the women as "low-class urban bitches" and steals one of Corvette's clothing designs, the Velvet Gang plots to steal her entire inventory.
Produced by Allison Rose Carter, Jon Read, Boots Riley, Aaron Ryder, Andrew Swett. Filmed in Atlanta, GA. This initially premiered at the 2026 SXSW Film Festival in March.
Blackfilmandtv.com's Wilson Morales talks to director Boots Riley and Lakeith Stanfield on I Love Boosters.
