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A Male Answer to 'Waiting to Exhale'

Diary of a Tired Black Man, an independent film about relationships between black men and women, has hit theaters after months of buzz on the Internet.

A three-and-a-half-minute excerpt from the film was e-mailed all over the country and featured on several nationally syndicated black radio shows. It raised issues about interracial dating and whether the anger of African-American women makes them undatable.

The debate continued as the full-length film premiered in New York City.

First-time director Tim Alexander says his film is an answer to movies such as 1995's Waiting to Exhale, where four women are figuratively holding their breath while waiting for a decent black man to date.

The movie's tagline is "Now it's black men's turn to exhale."

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Allison Keyes is an award-winning journalist with almost 20 years of experience in print, radio, and television. She has been reporting for NPR's national desk since October 2005. Her reports can be heard on Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Weekend Edition Sunday.