“Queen of Glory” has found a home. Film Movement landed U.S. rights to the dramedy, which marks the directorial debut of Nana Mensah, a multi-hyphenate best known for her acting roles on series such as “The Chair,” “13 Reasons Why,” and “New Amsterdam.” In addition to directing the pic, Mensah penned its script and stars. According to Deadline, Film Movement plans to release “Queen of Glory” in theaters and on digital and VOD later this year.
The film follows Sarah, a “Ghanaian-American doctoral student at Columbia University who is weeks away from following her very married boyfriend to Ohio when her mother dies suddenly, leaving her as the owner of the small, Bronx-based Christian bookstore, King of Glory. Tasked with planning a culturally respectful funeral befitting the family matriarch, Sarah is forced to juggle the expectations of her loving, yet demanding family while also navigating the reappearance of her estranged father. Aided by an only-in-New York ensemble of Eastern European neighbors, feisty African aunties, and a no-nonsense ex-con co-worker, she faces her new responsibilities while figuring out how to remain true to herself,” the source teases.
“One of our producers, Anya Migdal, was born in the former Soviet Union and is an actor. She was generally fed up with the roles she was called in for, 90 percent of which were predicated on Russian or Eastern European stereotypes. I felt similarly about my auditions, which were often to portray unfathomably downtrodden Black American or African women. It was depressing,” Mensah told us ahead of “Queen of Glory’s” world premiere at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival. “I started crafting a narrative out of and in reaction to those things that were personal to me.”
Asked what she’d like audiences to think about after watching the film, she said, “I want people to ponder the first generation and immigrant experiences with more fullness.”
“Queen of Glory heralds a true coming-out-party for Nana — both in front of and behind the camera,” said Film Movement President Michael Rosenberg. “Throughout the years, we’re proud of our track record of introducing unique new talents to cinema lovers, and we’re excited that we’re able to play a part in Nana’s career — one that’s sure to be rich, varied, and successful.”
Mensah added, “Our entire team is thrilled to partner with Film Movement and is honored to be a part of their history of bold, passionate, and boundary-pushing films. We can’t wait for them to introduce this very special film to audiences this year.”
“Queen of Glory” will screen at the 2022 Athena Film Festival, taking place in-person March 11-13 at Barnard College in New York City and virtually March 11-20.
