By: Valerie Milano
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 6/23/2023 – Everyday life can descend into the boring and mundane for many of us, and by and large, we can relieve the boredom with a healthy fantasy life. That usually means dreaming of being the ball player we aspired to be as a youngster or ascending to a position of power in the key areas of our lives.
But for one single mom and bodega worker, fantasy is no match for her reality – that of a paid assassin, a hired killer who spends her “free time” fulfilling contracts for a mysterious clandestine organization known only as Semper Fortis.
This is the life portrayed in writer/director Lauren McCann’s Ms. Pink, a 15-minute proof of concept series pilot that will have its world premiere on Saturday. June 29, at Dances with Films, LA’s largest indie film festival, which is currently underway at the iconic TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood.
The lead character in McCann’s female-driven action short, known only as Ms. Pink, finds herself embroiled in the secretive and perilous world of Semper Fortis, all the while trying to find balance with her busy personal life as a mother of two young children and clerk in a neighborhood bodega, and the danger that is inherent in her job as an assassin.
McCann also plays the lead role in this fascinating film and manages both her multiple lives – as the single mom/bodega worker/paid assassin and writer/director/producer of this wonderful film – with seeming ease.
McCann took time out of her busy life this past week to talk about her film with The Hollywood Times, and she said that aside from the film’s escapist plot, the message of Ms. Pink is the message that women are fully capable of managing the rigors and demands of such varied life roles.
Click below for our exclusive interview:
“Absolutely, however there’s always a little bit of weakness in everybody,” she said, ‘You don’t always just want to have a hero that is always winning. That’s too obvious, so there will be ups and downs for her, that’s for sure.”
Ms. Pink highlights diversity in all forms, from race and sexual orientation to ageism, McCann explained.
“This project takes its place in the cult genre of action film typically reserved for the boys’ club,” she said. “It needs a female touch.”
The pilot draws inspiration from genre-defining films like Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill and Reservoir Dogs, blended with the visual flair of Sin City. This initial proof of concept short is designed to introduce the audience to the world McCann created and the characters who live in it, she said.
The series contrasts Ms. Pink’s mundane life in overcrowded New York spaces with her vibrant and dangerous life as an aspiring assassin.
Then the film’s soundtrack, which is comprised of original music, plays a pivotal role, adding emotional depth and aligning with the characters’ states of mind. Acclaimed actor and singer Molly Gazay composed “Pink Neon City” specifically for the series. “My Dream of Love” was written and performed by Abigail Aldridge, a couture milliner as well as a jazz and gospel singer, in collaboration with world-renowned jazz master pianist Kuni Mikami.
“I am so proud of the people we have on board for that,” McCann said of the soundtrack. “Just as with all of those Tarantino movies, I was always struck by how important the music was, and anything I am going to do, I am going to highlight other artists, and I am very lucky to have people around me that do amazing work.”
McCann, who hails from Canada, is an award-winning actor and filmmaker, a 10-time marathon runner, mother of two, with a PhD in education who has a love for filmmaking. She was named “The Voice to Watch” at Series Fest 2020 and has won 20+ awards for her “Girl Boxer” proof-of-concept short, an impressive accomplishment for a first timer.
The feature screenplay from that film is now a finalist at the Nashville Film Festival and a semi-finalist at the Rhode Island International Film Festival, both Oscar qualifying festivals.
Along with McCann, the cast includes Tahtianna Fermin, who plays the leader of the society of assassins, and Marcus Troy, Steven Strickland, Stefanie Colon, Brian Reilly, Jo-Anne Lee, Robert Lachina, Ken Perlstein, and Helene Galek.
The world premiere of Ms. Pink, which is co-produced by Gary Millward is Saturday, June 29 at 3:30 p.m. as part of Dances With Films’ Pilot Block 6 at the iconic TCL Chinese Theatre at 6925 Hollywood Blvd. in Los Angeles.
For information about Dances With Films and event tickets, go to the festival website.
