Tony award-winning actress Tonya Pinkins has written, directed and produced her first feature film which will be released this fall. RED PILL, a political thriller, was from its inception in 2019 a scary wake-up call about American politics. The remarkably prescient film about the current political climate is profoundly relevant right now. The weaponization of Whiteness and White Supremacy themes in the film resonate with today’s fervor, particularly during #Uprising2020 and as the Becky/Karen trope assumes a greater place in White consciousness.
It’s Halloween weekend just days before the 2020 election. An intersectional posse of progressive canvassers drive to Virginia to get out the vote. As soon as they cross the state line it is clear they are not welcome. Distressing clues indicate that they should get out of their rental house while the getting is good. They decide to stay, armed with their heart, humor and naiveté. But what they really need is heavy artillery.
“I wrote my own personal GET OUT,” says Pinkins, “#Uprising2020 is White people waking up to the world Black and Brown folks have always known. Black women are intimately familiar with “Becky” and “Karen,” White women, who on the low end of the spectrum treat us as invisible, and on the high end weaponize their whiteness and sometimes cost us our lives. RED PILL’s #Karensgonewild is a dose of what’s coming to America if liberal Whites don’t wake up.”
RED PILL stars eight time Grammy award winning Latin music star Rubén Blades (Fear the Walking Dead), Catherine Curtain (Orange is the New Black, Stranger Things, Homeland), Kathryn Erbe (Law & Order: Criminal Intent), Tonya Pinkins (Fear The Walking Dead, Madame Secretary), Colby Minifie (The Boys, Fear the Walking Dead), Luba Mason (Person of Interest, NYPD Blue), Jake O’Flaherty (Criminal Minds, Shameless) and Adesola Osakalumi (Sex & The City 2, Ice).
Tonya Pinkins is a multi-award-winning actress, author, and educator. She is 2019-2022 Fulbright Specialist. Pinkins is a Tony, Obie Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Lortel Award winning actor. She teaches privately and at The Atlantic Theater School’s NYU program. Pinkins is the author of Get OVER YOURSELF: How to Drop The Drama and Claim The Life You Deserve (Hachette Books). Pinkins works with The African American Policy Forum and actively supports #SayHerName and TheMovementForBlackLives among other causes and organizations.
Currently in post-production, RED PILL will be completed by September 2020. Watch this space for a release date and viewing information.