Zendaya a young star that outshines her Disney roots, embodying female empowerment and grace, is set to star and produce in a thriller based on the true story of Anita Hemmings. ‘A white Lie’, delves into the story of a woman, descending from black slaves was light skinned which meant she was able to pass as white and become the first African American woman to graduate from Vassar. She later found herself in a whole new world as a wealthy and educated white woman.
Reese Witherspoon a Hollywood actress with her big break in the franchise Legally Blond, is partnered in a venture ‘Hello Sunshine’, which is driven to create and share content created by women to tell female driven stories. Releasing ‘Gone Girl’ to critical and commercial success in 2017 and later with much anticipation the release of biographical survival drama ‘Wild’ on December 5th, a journey of self-discovery and healing.
Rosamund Mary Ellen Pike gained international recognition in her debut as a Bond Girl and received many awards for her performance in another great film on this list, ‘Gone Girl’. Directed by British born Anna Asante, ‘A United kingdom’ is a Biographical Romantic Drama based on the British exploitation of land to mine diamonds, a King’s exile, his interracial marriage and the negotiations for Independence that lead to the creation of Botswana.
Felicity Jones a British actress who found success starring in ‘The Theory of Everything’ playing Stephen Hawkings wife, landed the first female lead in a Star Wars flim ‘Rogue One’. She plays a courageous, fugitive rebel fighter not a damsel in distress or a role based on falling in love as Hollywood likes to typecast women. Reportedly she was also paid more than her male co-stars, women in the industry have been speaking up in the media about the gender pay gap that is prevalent.
Emma Watson, British actress and activist, shot to fame as a child actor in the Harry Potter Franchise, she went on to continue her education and completed a degree in English Literature whilst also working on film projects. At 25 she was named on the Times 100 list of influential people and as a UN Women goodwill ambassador she helped launched the campaign ‘HeForShe’ which calls for Gender Equality. In September of 2017 Watson debuted a short film entitled ‘Hurdles’ about the inequalities women have faced.
By Mohbeen Mushtaq
