Danièle Watts, known for her role as Angela Mullen, Shane Botwin’s girlfriend, on Season 8 of Showtime’s hit show WEEDS, is a young, talented, up-and-coming performing artist and film maker.

Her debut as producer is the short film YOU ARE WHAT I WANT which has been officially selected for a world premiere screening at the International London Lift-off Festival on Tuesday the 27^th of November at 3:30PM GMT. Produced by and Starring Danièle Watts. Written and Directed by Brian Jordan Alvarez. Music by UK artist KAV.

Watts will be in London to present the film.

This has been a dynamic year for the dedicated actress who was recently handpicked by Quentin Tarantino, after submitting a self-recorded audition tape, to play opposite Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx, and Christoph Waltz in his highly anticipated feature, DJANGO UNCHAINED, released Christmas Day, 2012.

Django Unchained tells the story of a slave-turned-bounty hunter who sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner.

Danièle Watts, Quentin Tarantino and Franco Nero for Django Unchained

Dinner On Set: Danièle Watts, Quentin Tarantino and Franco Nero – the original Django – for new movie Django Unchained

Watts believes London is the perfect place to premiere YOU ARE WHAT I WANT, a film that presents a story that American audiences may not quite be ready for. The movie is written and directed by USC graduate Brian Jordan Alvarez known from his recent participation in College Humor’s viral sensation GAY MEN WILL MARRY YOUR GIRLFRIENDS, and stars Watts as a girl who falls for a guy who is just not that into her.

“What sets this film apart from the average ‘he’s just not into you story’ is just how desperate the character becomes in a power dynamic most American film doesn’t deal with,” said Watts.

“Thanks, in part, to America’s history of slavery and the many films seeking to redeem the image of black people, many black folk in America are far more comfortable acknowledging that the welfare mother is a product of a racist societal history, and far less comfortable with the delicate idea that a ‘normal’ middle class black girl with an unbalanced obsession for the attention of a white guy could also be a product of that same societal fabric.”

Watts is attracted to stories that challenge the status quo and offer perspectives that may be more difficult to swallow than those of the typical Hollywood film. She’s excited to continue creating films that are brave enough to reflect the subtle areas where we can all benefit from understanding ourselves and our motivations more deeply.

“Especially the uncomfortable parts we may wish did not exist,” continued Watts. “As the story develops, there are elements that will remind fans of Greek mythology, of the ancient cautionary tale of Echo and Narcissus. More than anything this is a universal story to which audiences all over the world can relate.”

Daniele Watts (c) Contact Music Photo by James Van Alden

Watts attended the esteemed North Springs Magnet School for the Arts in Atlanta, GA, (alumni include Raven Simoné and Usher Raymond). She went on to study acting at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, taking a semester across the pond to study the classics at the British American Drama Academy in London.

Her performing career has been steadily rising since 2011, when she was nominated for a Los Angeles Ovation Award (the West Coast version of the Tony awards) for best supporting actress for her performance as a black face minstrel performer in the controversial Los Angeles premier of Neighbors at Joseph Stern’s Matrix Theatre. The entire Los Angeles production was critically acclaimed with Variety describing Watts’ role as an “artistic epiphany.” She went on to collaborate with English musician and one of the father’s of goth – David J (Bauhaus, Love & Rockets) in what LA Weekly called a “breathtaking” vocal performance as real life torch singer Madi Comfort in a surreal retelling of the famous Hollywood Black Dhalia murder mystery.

YOU ARE WHAT I WANT will be presented as a part of the official shorts program for the 2^nd Annual London Lift Off Festival, which was established in 2011 by co-founders James Alexander and Ben Pohlman. The festival’s motto is to “look beyond the gloss.” They reward filmmakers based on talent, never on production value.

YOU ARE WHAT I WANT to be presented at the Tricycle Theatre – Tuesday, November 27, 2012 at 3:30 pm – 5:30 pm. Admission Price is from £5.95 through Ticketweb.co.uk or £10 (early screening) & £15 (later screening) at the door.

Info: www.londonlift-off.com

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