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EXCLUSIVE: Imani Lewis (First Kill) and Laya DeLeon Hayes (The Equalizer) person attached to prima successful Pure, nan debut characteristic from writer-director Natalie Jasmine Harris.
Expanding connected Harris’ short movie of nan aforesaid name, which was acquired by HBO Max pursuing its show run, Pure is simply a coming-of-age communicative group wrong nan seldom depicted world of Black cotillion civilization successful suburban Maryland. When Celeste (Lewis), a 17-year-old slam poesy prodigy, is uprooted from her Bay Area organization and moved to Maryland’s elite Black suburbs, she’s forced to participate successful a prestigious cotillion season. As she prepares to debut into precocious society, she must face her burgeoning queer personality and determine what benignant of coming-out communicative she wants for herself.
Yoko Kohmoto served arsenic co-writer connected nan task and is producing, pinch Avril Speaks and Britney Ngaw exec producing. The task has received support from starring improvement labs and markets, including Film Independent Fast Track, The Gotham Week Project Market, Outfest Screenwriting Lab, and nan InsideOut LGBTQ+ Financing Forum. It was besides selected for nan Women In Film x Sundance Institute Financing Intensive and awarded nan SFFILM Rainin Screenwriting Grant. Additional support includes nan Film Independent Amplifier Fellowship and information successful nan New Orleans Film Festival Southern Producers Lab.
An character and Grammy-winning songwriter, Lewis is champion known for starring successful nan Netflix bid First Kill, and for co-writing nan deed azygous “Water” by Tyla. She has written for galore different artists and her different acting credits see Bo Burnham’s Eighth Grade, Rashad Frett’s Ricky, Ekwa Msangi’s Farewell Amor, and Premature. Other tv credits see Rebecca Cutter’s Hightown, Lee Daniels’ Star, Baz Luhrmann’s The Get Down, and Wu-Tang: An American Saga. She is repped by Luber Roklin Entertainment, GOF Talent Management, Innovative Artists, and Granderson Des Rochers.
Hayes precocious starred other Queen Latifah connected nan CBS bid The Equalizer and is possibly champion known for voicing nan titular domiciled successful nan animated bid Doc McStuffins, which earned her an NAACP Image Award nomination. Just 9 years aged erstwhile she booked nan landmark domiciled arsenic nan first Black animated characteristic connected Disney Junior, she is repped by LDH Talent and Eric Suddleson of Felker Toczek Suddleson.
A postgraduate of NYU’s Tisch School of nan Arts, Harris’ caller short movie Grace premiered astatine nan Sundance Film Festival and went connected to surface astatine Chicago International Film Festival, BlackStar, Palm Springs ShortFest, Frameline, Torino, and HollyShorts. Executive produced by Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, it’s now streaming connected The Criterion Channel.
