Mark Harris’ ‘Hyde Park’ To Hit Theaters In July
HYDE PARK, a riveting film about a Nigerian American lawyer who takes on the challenge of defending a well-connected gay client from Uganda, is coming to theatres beginning Thursday, July 14. Directed by Mark Harris from a script written by Marvin Nelson and Lotten Yeaney, the cast includes Kenneth Okolie, Xavier McKnight and Dawn Halfkenny.
This dramedy tackles several topics considered “taboo” in the Black and African communities such as acceptance of the LGBTQ+ Community and the mixing of romantic relationships amongst the two communities. In the film, Hyde Park is an affluent neighborhood in Chicago where these cultural differences still exist. The message in HYDE PARK is to love whomever you choose, unconditionally. The film is being released in Studio Movie Grill theatres in five markets including: Atlanta, Houston, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, and Dallas.
A Nigerian-American attorney, David Eguasa (Kenneth Okolie), is tasked with saving his client Eric Deng (Xavier McKnight) from deportation, all while defining his cultural identity in a romantic relationship with his American girlfriend. To make matters more complicated, his client is gay, which goes against his Nigerian upbringing. He's conflicted with accepting the challenge and possibly becoming a partner at his law firm or rejecting the challenge and erasing all that he has built at the law firm. Along with this very challenging deportation case, his personal life is falling apart as well. His mother wants him to be with a traditional Nigerian woman, his father wants him to continue to be a successful lawyer. The challenge is that he's in love with a Black American woman he works with named Lola (Dawn Halfkenny). Even though David’s group of friends come from multiple walks of life and are accepted by his parents, his mother can't see him being married to anyone other than a Nigerian woman. It’s now or never, David can accept things as they are or fight for what he really wants.
Executive Producers include Lotten Yeaney of L10 Group along with Lou Rago and Garçon Morweh.
Executive Producer Lotten Yeaney commented “I made HYDE PARK with the intention of bringing attention to the separations that are happening in the U.S., despite living in the most diverse country in the world. The idea of strictly adhering to one’s cultural norms does not allow for growth or change. As much as our cultural differences celebrate us, they can also bring on shame. I hope viewers will watch this film and have a positive takeaway about the power of standing up for what is right and loving unconditionally.”
