Exclusive: Director/ Writer Angel Kristi Williams and Co-Writer Felicia Pride talk romantic film Really Love
Now playing on Netflix is MACRO’s romantic drama Really Love, which hit the streamer on August 25. The film was helmed by first-time feature director Angel Kristi Williams, who also co-wrote the script with Felicia Pride.
The cast includes Kofi Siriboe, Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing, Uzo Aduba, Mack Wilds, Naturi Naughton, Suzzanne Douglas, Jade Eshete, Blair Underwood, and Michael Ealy.
Set against the backdrop of a gentrifying Washington DC, Isaiah, an emerging black painter is on the brink of breaking out or giving up when he meets Stevie, an intriguing beauty with big brains.
They fall for one another, hard. Stevie quickly becomes one of Isaiah’s biggest fans and artistic muse. Isaiah’s creativity flows with her in his life, but his work remains overlooked by curators and collectors, bruising his ego. When Isaiah finally convinces a prominent gallery owner to take a chance on him, he pours himself into his work, neglecting Stevie. Isaiah’s first solo show catapults him into new artistic echelons, but it doesn’t leave much room for Stevie. Reluctantly, she accepts a dream job in Chicago, breaking Isaiah’s heart.
Williams is an award-winning writer & director from West Baltimore, Maryland. Her short film “Charlotte,” won jury awards at Atlanta and Sarasota Film Festivals. Angel is a Film Independent Project Involve Fellow, winner of the Sony Pictures Diversity Fellowship, and was named one of ten black directors to watch by Paste Magazine. This is her feature film debut.
Pride has written for Grey’s Anatomy and Queen Sugar and is developing Like It’s the Last, a romantic drama set in the world of collegiate track & field, with Will Packer and James Lopez. She recently made her directorial debut with tender, a short film she also wrote, which won a Lionsgate / Starz award at BlackStar Film Festival and several other accolades.
BlackFilmandTV.com’s Wilson Morales caught up with Williams and Pride as they spoke about writing and bringing Really Love to a larger audience.