Feature film Shirley from Participant and Regina King’s Royal Ties Productions is heading to Netflix. Regina King will star as Shirley Chisholm in the film written and directed by John Ridley.
Cast: Regina King (The Harder They Fall), Lance Reddick (John Wick 1-4), Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea), Christina Jackson (Swagger), Michael Cherrie (Home Again), Dorian Missick (For Life), Amirah Vann (Underground), W. Earl Brown (Deadwood), with André Holland (Passing) and Terrence Howard (Empire).
Director & Writer: John Ridley (Guerrilla, Let It Fall: Los Angeles 1982-1992)
Producers: Anikah McLaren and Elizabeth Haggard for
Participant: Regina King and Reina King for Royal Ties
Productions: John Ridley
Executive Producers: Jeff Skoll, Ted Gidlo
Logline: ‘Shirley’ is the intimate portrayal of trailblazing political icon Shirley Chisholm, the first Black Congresswoman and the first Black woman to run for President of the U.S, and the cost of accomplishment for Shirley herself. This film will tell the story of Chisholm’s boundary-breaking and historic presidential campaign, based on exclusive and extensive conversations with family, friends, and those who knew her best.
Participants will be focusing its impact work tied to Shirley around the company’s ongoing dedication to advancing civic engagement and social justice.
Shirley Chisholm began her career as a teacher, advocating for better opportunities for minority students. Her outspoken passion for social justice led her to become involved in local politics and community activism. In the 1960s she served in the New York State Assembly, where she fought for education reform, affordable housing, and social welfare programs.
Using the slogan “unbought and unbossed”, Chisholm duly pulled off an upset victory, making history as the first African American woman elected to Congress. She declared: “Just wait, there may be some fireworks.”
Shirley Chisholm is also the author of two autobiographical works entitled Unbought and Unbossed (1970) and The Good Fight (1973).
Available on Netflix.