Oscar-nominated actor Gabourey Sidibe (Precious) is making her feature debut with psychological thriller Pale Horse, which is scheduled to shoot this fall.
Set in the Pacific Northwest, Pale Horse follows Naia, an esteemed, yet reclusive African-American YA book author who is living with MS. When Naia decides to shelter the man who escaped captivity with her long-missing brother, she finds herself caught up in a diabolical mystery.
Asabi Lee and Paul Hart-Wilden (Wolf Town) scripted the film, which is based on a story by Chris Courtney Martin (The Last Laugh).
Effie T. Brown (Dear White People) and Wellington Love (The United States vs. Billie Holiday) are producing on behalf of Gamechanger Films, the production company and development fund dedicated to multi-platform projects by and about women, people of color, LGBTQ+, and people with disabilities, which developed and co-financed the pic.
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“Stories like Pale Horse are long overdue in the entertainment industry and Gamechanger is dedicated to financing and producing them: entertaining films that offer diversity in story-telling, characters, and filmmakers,” said Brown. “In addition to our development and producing commitments, we plan to demystify the process of production through our social and partnership channels, pulling back the curtain on what it really takes to create a film. We want people of all communities to feel included in and empowered by this process.”
“I have known Gabourey for some time,” the producer added, “and am always impressed with her skills as a storyteller, both as an actor or author. She will be an incredible force behind Pale Horse.”
Earning a Best Actress Oscar nom for her turn in Lee Daniels’ Precious—which was her first film as an actor—Sidibe’s recent big-screen credits include Lionsgate horror pic Antebellum and indie Come as You Are. On the TV side, her credits include Empire, American Horror Story, Difficult People and The Big C. Sidibe is also the author of the critically acclaimed memoir, This Is Just My Face: Try Not to Stare.
Gamechanger’s recent projects include Rebecca Hall’s Sundance-premiering Passing, starring Tessa Thompson and Oscar nominee Ruth Negga, as well as Oscar-winning producer Oorlagh George’s debut feature, Stranger With a Camera, which is currently in post.
Sidibe is represented by UTA, Authentic Talent and Literary Management, Felker Toczek Suddleson Abramson. Asabi Lee and Paul Hart-Wilden are repped by Story Driven.
