Netflix has revealed details for the upcoming biopic movie Shirley. The movie follows the historically significant career of US Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, who became the first woman ever to run for the Democratic Party presidential nomination in 1972.
John Ridley, the acclaimed writer of 12 Years a Slave, takes the helm as director, while the movie shares its executive production team with the highly successful projects Judas and the Black Messiah and Spotlight.
Chisholm’s bid for the 1972 Presidential election was sadly unsuccessful. The United States still awaits its first female head of state and government, with Chisholm’s campaign standing as a testament to this ongoing challenge.
It would be another 37 years before the historic inauguration of Barack Obama as the first African American president. Nonetheless, Chisholm’s pioneering campaign remains historically significant in encouraging other women to follow her footsteps into positions of power.
As an African American woman, Chisholm faced the odds, defiantly circumnavigating racial and gender prejudice to become an influential leading figure and a luminary for marginalised communities in the US.
In the Shirley trailer below, you can see Regina King channelling Chisholm’s assertive demeanour perfectly. “You sound just like every other politician,” an electorate member tells Chisholm. “Do I look like every other politician?” she replies.
Lance Reddick co-stars posthumously as Wesley MacDonald “Mac” Holder, Chisholm’s legendary campaign manager. Reddick tragically passed away last year, with Shirley marking one of his final completed projects.
Meanwhile, Terrence Howard portrays Arthur Hardwick, Jr., a prominent politician who worked alongside Chisholm in the New York State Legislature and eventually became her second husband.
Shirley arrives on Netflix on March 22nd. Watch the trailer for Shirley below.
