EXCLUSIVE: Imani Lewis (First Kill) and Laya DeLeon Hayes (The Equalizer) have attached to star in Pure, the debut feature from writer-director Natalie Jasmine Harris.
Expanding on Harris’ short film of the same name, which was acquired by HBO Max following its festival run, Pure is a coming-of-age story set within the rarely depicted world of Black cotillion culture in suburban Maryland. When Celeste (Lewis), a 17-year-old slam poetry prodigy, is uprooted from her Bay Area community and moved to Maryland’s elite Black suburbs, she’s forced to participate in a prestigious cotillion season. As she prepares to debut into high society, she must confront her burgeoning queer identity and decide what kind of coming-out story she wants for herself.
Yoko Kohmoto served as co-writer on the project and is producing, with Avril Speaks and Britney Ngaw exec producing. The project has received support from leading development labs and
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