Madonna’s next directorial effort: biopic of ballerina Michaela DePrince

Grammy-winning superstar and Queen of Pop Madonna will be Taking Flight.

That’s the title of the next film she will be directing, a biopic of ballerina Michaela DePrince, the Sierra Leone-born dancer who fled her country’s civil war (where both of her parents were killed or died) to become the youngest dancer in the history of the Dance Theatre of Harlem. She is currently a soloist for the Dutch National Ballet and appeared in Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” video.

DePrince’s story was first documented in the 2011 non-fiction film First Position. DePrince, born Mabinty Bangura, was taken in by her uncle after her parents were killed. In 1999, at the age of four, she and another girl, Mia, were adopted by Elaine and Charles DePrince, a Jewish couple from Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and taken to the United States. Madonna is no stranger to this subject, having adopted four African children (David Banda, 12, Mercy James, 11, and 6-year-old twins Stella and Estere) and building 10 schools in Malawi with four more underway for 2018.

The story will follow her journey from Sierra Leone to the United States to status as a world-famous ballerina. The film will be adapted by Camilla Blackett from DePrince’s own memoir “Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina.”

“Michaela’s journey resonated with me deeply as both an artist and an activist who understands adversity,” the singer said in a statement. “We have a unique opportunity to shed light on Sierra Leone and let Michaela be the voice for all the orphaned children she grew up beside. I am honored to bring her story to life.”

Madonna’s second film, W.E., earned modest reviews and an Oscar nomination for its costumes. The singer/actress/director is also currently working on an adaptation of the novel “The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells” as well as recording music for a new album.

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Erik Anderson

Erik Anderson is the founder/owner and Editor-in-Chief of AwardsWatch and has always loved all things Oscar, having watched the Academy Awards since he was in single digits; making lists, rankings and predictions throughout the show. This led him down the path to obsessing about awards. Much later, he found himself in film school and the film forums of GoldDerby, and then migrated over to the former Oscarwatch (now AwardsDaily), before breaking off to create AwardsWatch in 2013.

He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.

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