First up on opening night was the coming of age story Pariah written and directed by Dee Rees. Here’s the description: “A Brooklyn teenager juggles conflicting identities and risks friendship, heartbreak, and family in a desperate search for sexual expression.”
The LA Times reports that it got a standing ovation and was instantly compared to Boys Don’t Cry and Precious. This film has been on a long journey. It started out as a short. It was in Netflix’ Find Your Voice competition.
I have been so impressed with Dee and producer Nekisa Cooper’s use of social media to help raise money and awareness for the film. While they are on the ground they will be live streaming and posting pieces on After Ellen. Here’s one early reaction to the film.
