EXCLUSIVE: BET Hare has the green light Black girl escaped by director and star Vanessa Bell Calloway (It’s us) and executive producer Tressa Azarel Smallwood of MegaMind Media. The project is the first feature film under the WED her gift: the couch Franchise.
Written by Tiffany Yancey, Black girl escaped follows Reina (Khalilah Joi), a woman who pays her fees at a law firm while dealing with microaggressions from colleagues and her boss, Mr. Horowitz (Eric Roberts) confronts. Reina’s parents Cassandra (Vanessa E. Williams) and Donald (Rodney Van Johnson) favor their youngest daughter Reilly (Janeva Stoute) and consistently remind Reina not to be the “angry black woman” in the company. The pressure to be perfect and maintain the family image wreaks havoc on Reina’s mental state.
BJ Britt, Kareem Grimes, Brely Evans and Asia’h Epperson also star.
The film reunites Calloway with Smallwood, who oversaw the production of all the shorts produced for The Couch franchise. Black girl escaped is part of The Couch, a series of short films about black women dealing with mental health issues and follows their journey as they navigate the ups and downs of their diagnoses.
“I am honored to work with BET Her to tell stories that matter, written, produced and directed by black women for all women,” Smallwood said in a statement. “Reuniting with Vanessa Bell Calloway to produce the first feature film for The Couch franchise speaks to BET’s commitment to changing history by nurturing creative black women and showcasing their work.”
launched in 2019, WED her gift: the couch highlights short films that focus on women and highlights the next generation of black women filmmakers. Previous directors include Meagan Good, Naturi Tichina Arnold and LisaRaye McCoy.
“BET Her is committed to telling stories that support and celebrate Black women in front of and behind the camera, while raising awareness of important issues that directly affect the Black community,” said Lorisa Bates, VP, Content Strategy, Co-Productions & Multiplatform at BET. “We are honored to once again collaborate with the amazing Vanessa Bell Calloway on this powerful story filled with passion, grace and humanity.”
Deshawn Plair, Sade Oyinade and Kristin Iris Johnson also serve as producers Black girl escaped; Production is currently underway in Los Angeles.
Calloway is represented by Zero Gravity Management.
Source: Deadline
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