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Exclusive: A clip from “Pariah”

We’re thrilled that Dee Rees‘s acclaimed feature film Pariah will soon (December 28) be opening in theaters, especially since we’ve championed Rees and the film since 2007, when Pariah was a short film making the rounds at LGBT festivals. Rees and company sent us videos documenting their experience at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, where the film was picked up by Focus Features.

In case you aren’t familiar with Pariah, it stars Adepero Oduye as Alike, a 17-year-old African-American woman who lives with her parents Audrey and Arthur (Kim Wayans and Charles Parnell) and younger sister Sharonda (Sahra Mellesse) in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene neighborhood.

Here’s the official description via Focus Features:

She has a flair for poetry, and is a good student at her local high school. Alike is quietly but firmly embracing her identity as a lesbian. With the sometimes boisterous support of her best friend, out lesbian Laura (Pernell Walker), Alike is especially eager to find a girlfriend. At home, her parents’ marriage is strained and there is further tension in the household whenever Alike’s development becomes a topic of discussion. Pressed by her mother into making the acquaintance of a colleague’s daughter, Bina (South of Nowhere‘s Aasha Davis), Alike finds Bina to be unexpectedly refreshing to socialize with. Wondering how much she can confide in her family, Alike strives to get through adolescence with grace, humor, and tenacity — sometimes succeeding, sometimes not, but always moving forward.
Focus Features has kindly shared with us an exclusive sneak peek of the film, a scene featuring Oduye and Davis. Intrigued? Us too! (If you want to get an early scoop on the film, read our review.)

Additionally, director Rees has shared her own personal story about bullying and feeling “like a pariah” while growing up. She hopes you’ll post a video response to her video and help inspire others with a personal story of your own. The Pariah team will select videos to feature on the Pariah Facebook page and official website.

Are you planning to see Pariah when it opens in December?

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