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When an innocent invitation to an antiques reality show unearths shameful skeletons between two families -- one black, one white -- three multi-generational women are forced to take painful ownership of their present reality.
Tied by family obligation, Stella, an up-and-coming Black real estate agent, has been a caregiver to Betty Jean, a white, southern, 80-year-old shut-in. When Stella gifts Betty Jean with a pair of tickets to their favorite show, Antiques Trunk & Travel, Betty Jean is inspired to gift Stella with a family secret. Her gesture of misplaced kindness forces Stella to make a painful decision. Meanwhile, Betty Jean’s down-and-out daughter, Cherry, tries to regain what she considers to be her rightful place in the family and uproots more than she anticipates.
Trailer
Director’s Statement
As a first time director, it has been a roller coaster of a ride, filled with highs and lows that I’ll carry with me forever. What I truly love most about being a director is the chance to collaborate with each artist at every stage - whether it is costumes, makeup, sound, composition, color, cast, writer, marketing team, or producers. Our production company, Lagralane Group, built a vibrant community around the film, intentionally bringing together a diverse group of creators. Each has found their own story reflected in our narrative, enriching the film with their unique perspectives and passions. Embracing the challenge of sharpening my vision while allowing my curiosity to flourish through each of our conversations has been a truly enriching experience.
Personally, one of the greatest rewards of telling this story is the unraveling of my own herstory. Encouraged by my history buff husband, I took a DNA test to begin my own journey of understanding and embracing my whole story, beyond my grandparents generation. I discovered that my heritage spans from Cameroon, Mali, Nigeria, Ivory Coast & Ghana, Benin & Togo, and the Central & Southern Philippines. This revelation ignited a profound curiosity within me, prompting endless questions about my ancestry and identity.
The story of our characters of ‘Stella’, ‘Aunt Denny’, ‘Cherry’, and ‘Betty Jean’ can be found in any family that holds secrets. Their struggles reflect the universal challenge of navigating intimate relationships while grappling with the weight of half-truths and historical burdens. Under the gaze of family history, their story asks: Who is the rightful bearer of treasures? Who gets to hold wealth and who doesn't? How can we move forward without acknowledging the trauma that lingers? How do we hold space for love and contempt in the same breath? What does healing look like, and how do we maintain hope amidst dark secrets?
As the audience grapples with these questions while watching Ownership, I hope they will be tickled, moved, lean into the discomfort, and ultimately, feel a sense of empowerment to embrace their own journeys of healing.
—Yvonne Huff Lee, Director and Producer of “Ownership”
Featuring
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Yvonne Huff Lee
STELLA
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Jayne Taini
BETTY JEAN
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Francesca P. Roberts
AUNT DENNY
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Erin Cummings
CHERRY
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Dave Power
LEWIS
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Rob Nagle
APPRAISER MONROE
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LeShay Tomlinson
CASSANDRA
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Sabah El-Amin
APPRAISER CARLSON
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Jason Delane
APPRAISER MCPHERSON
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Tanya Alexander
RADIO ANNOUNCER
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Yvonne (she/hers) is an actor and producer of Black and Filipina descent. She is inspired by the female experience and seeks to elevate both female-driven narratives and women’s perspectives. Fearless in her pursuit of authentic and original works, she is passionate about storytelling’s power to entertain and foment social change. On stage, she starred in Safe Harbor written by Tira Palmquist with Lower Depth Theatre, where she is an artistic associate and founding member. She was also in Lower Depth's critically acclaimed Br’er Cotton by Tearrance Arvelle Chisolm. She was nominated for the 2019 NAACP Best Actress (Intimate Theatre) for this role. She acted on screen and executive produced the indie film Givers of Death (G.O.D.), written and directed by Addison Henderson, and distributed by Buffalo 8. She also starred alongside Harry Dean Stanton in his career final film Lucky, distributed by Magnolia Pictures. Other executive producing credits include This is Home, Night Comes On, The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open, Rebecca Hall’s Passing, The Big Payback with Color Farm Media, and the upcoming Lisa Cortes documentary The Empire of Ebony. Yvonne serves on the board of Array Alliance and Lower Depth Theatre and is co-founder of the Lagralane Group with her husband, Jason Delane Lee.
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Peppur Chambers (she/her/hers) is an international writer/producer/educator. An alum of Circle X Emerging Playwrights Group, Moving Arts MADLab, and Antaeus Playwrights Lab, she uses her voice to amplify women’s issues, social justice and love. Find her radio plays End of the Line, The Fire In-Between and The Boll Weevil & Chester Higgensworth wherever you listen to podcasts. Her film DO SOMETHING can be found on Tubi, and her fiction novels, Harlem’s Awakening & Harlem’s Last Dance on Amazon or Spaceboybooks.com More: penandpeppur.com.
INITIATE.
IMPACT.
INVEST.
Founded by Yvonne Huff Lee and Jason Delane Lee, Lagralane aims to support uncommon voices, courageous visionaries, and inspirational storytellers. We are social challengers, activators, and thought leaders - financing and developing diverse stories with unique characters and points of view. Lagralane seeks to evaluate cultural consciousness through the exploration of honest, raw and uncompromising human experiences.
Notable titles include the Academy Award-winning documentary Icarus, the Emmy Award-winning documentary The Apollo, the Oscar Shortlisted Short Live Action film Bienvenidos a Los Angeles, Jeff Orlowski's The Social Dilemma, Rebecca Hall's directorial debut Passing, Harry Dean Stanton’s final film Lucky, and Lifeline a semi-autobiographical short film written, directed, and starring Jason Delane Lee.