We’re only a few weeks away from the release of highly anticipated Neo-Western Revenge Thriller Is God Is which brought together tastemakers, moment makers, and the film’s stars, Kara Young and Mallori Johnson, for a star-studded tastemaker screening soirée in NYC.
Hosted by theater legend Irene Gandy, the exclusive affair buzzed with good vibes, big hugs, and notable attendees Tessa Thompson, Ayo Edebiri, Bevy Smith, Mona Scott-Young, and more at the Bryant Park Hotel in NYC.
Thompson, whose been deep in her producer bag, was all smiles while supporting Kara and Mallori at the event with a swanky post-reception at TALEA Beer Co.–NYC’s first exclusively women-owned production brewery.
In Is God Is, two sisters embark on an epic quest for revenge against their evil father (Sterling K. Brown) while confronting a deeply unsettling family history that pushes them to extraordinary lengths.
Check out the trailer below:
Making her directorial debut is acclaimed playwright Aleshea Harris who brings her singular vision to the genre-blending film, which also stars Vivica A. Fox, Janelle Monáe, Erika Alexander, Mykelti Williamson, and Josiah Cross.
“Okay, so it all started with one germ of an idea, and the thought I had was like, ‘what would happen if you wrote a story that took its cues from ancient Greek tragedy, but was populated by people who look and speak like you?’ And just that idea felt so fruitful and so full that that’s where I started,” recalled Harris about the film’s conception in an interview with ESSENCE.
“So I started crafting this story, which is just true to my sensibility. A revenge tale is—I love revenge tales. I’ve watched a lot of ’em. The way that the Western genre has found its way in, I love Westerns. I also think I put the pedal to the metal because I don’t see us there. So there’s something that I feel like I’m in new territory or I don’t see us there enough or in my way.”
“So it really was plot forward. It was like I had that idea, I just found this amazing story, and then I started to flex into these other genres that organically were working their way inside of the story. I have a principle of anything that I want to do, I can do. There’s no flavor of storytelling that’s off limits to Black people.”
“I think I got very free writing this play because up until then there had been some level of trying to write the thing I thought I was allowed to write, that I thought would be accepted, and this really allowed me to break free, liberate myself and create a story that was really true to my taste and my sensibilities. And lucky for me, other people are down with it.”
Check out the first look featurette below:
Is God Is brings its soul-smoldering dramatics to theaters May 15.