Overbrook Veteran Jana Babatunde-Bey to Produce the Upcoming Feature Film CURTSY Set in the World of African American Debutantes
LOS ANGELES /PRNewswire/ — Overbrook veteran Jana Babatunde-Bey and J. Bey Entertainment announce their upcoming project CURTSY- a feature comedy about complicated mother-daughter relationships set in the exclusive world of African American Debutantes. While Cotillions in European society have been dramatized often in projects like Netflix’s hit series Bridgerton, CURTSY delivers a rare depiction of modern African American Cotillions sponsored annually by prestigious Black organizations across the United States.
Jana Babatunde-Bey’s credits include HALA and Amend: The Fight for America. HALA is the heartfelt and dramatic coming of age feature selected to launch the Apple + platform, written and directed by award winning Pakistani creative Minhal Baig; and Amend: The Fight for America, hosted by Academy Award-winning Actor/Producer Will Smith, streams on Netflix and chronicles the evolving and often lethal fight for equal rights in America through the lens of the US Constitution’s 14th Amendment.
“CURTSY is a fresh and lush story about family, community, tradition, and empowerment that resonates with me personally as a mother, and professionally as a visual storyteller. It’s an experience that mothers and daughters will share for decades to come,” said Babatunde-Bey. “We are thrilled to collaborate with the singular creative icon that is Ms. Debbie Allen. We are excited by her vision for illuminating the sophisticated complexities of this story’s rich characters and elevating the magic of a beautifully unique world.”
The project’s Director – Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winner Debbie Allen – echoed Babatunde-Bey’s enthusiasm. “Jana is putting together a dream team to help tell this important, intergenerational story,” said Allen. “Cotillions are a world that people may feel have come and gone, but they continue to be a cultural linchpin in our community – a community that in some ways needs resuscitation. CURTSY will exude joy with a serious heartbeat and a look into the past, present, and future for those who proclaim its rich cultural identity.
Written by writer/producer Teryl Warren, the script boasts an ensemble of compelling characters including Debutantes, their Escorts, and parents as they navigate nerve-wracking and hilarious challenges throughout the Cotillion Season. In addition to peeling back the layers of family secrets, bitter rivalries and long-held traditions, the project promises to deliver glamour, spectacle, cultural insights, and nostalgia.
Debbie Allen is repped by Buchwald and Moseley & Associates. J. Bey Entertainment is repped by Hertz Lichtenstein Young & Polk. Teryl Warren is repped by Granderson Des Rochers.
SOURCE J. Bey Entertainment