A private detective takes a case, hoping for redemption and finds herself in the midst of an ever-expanding world of corruption.
ZUGZWANG is the film we need right now. A thrilling and beautifully told story of one woman’s journey to uncover a mystery that goes deeper than she ever could have imagined. When we meet Lady Maclava, she is a private investigator with all the trappings of success; wealth, connections and a bit of power too. It starts to unravel almost immediately when a young officer asks for her help uncovering corruption in the Guard. Seeing the opportunity to settle an old score, Lady takes the case. Quickly realizing she’s been set up, she embarks on a journey to discover the truth and must face her past as she’s pursued by those who want to silence her. While Lady is on this mysterious and dangerous mission, she is forced to remove the spiritual armor she put on long ago to protect against the cruelty of the world. Only in moving forward with vulnerability and openness is she able to uncover greater truths than those that governed her former life. The story of ZUGZWANG and the beautifully evocative world we are building is exactly what audiences have asked for over and over again. ZUGZWANG delivers on the promise of a new American mythology that is inclusive and aspirational in what our world can be.
Bridget Stokes’ masterful direction won her an Emmy for HBO’s, A Black Lady Sketch Show, making her the first woman to win in the category. In addition to her win, Bridget has received four Emmy nominations for her directing work on Apple’s Hello Jack and producing work on A Black Lady Sketch Show. Stokes received an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Directing on ABLSS and won the award for producing.
As a feature director Stokes’ second feature, Boy Genius, starring Rita Wilson and Miles Brown was an award winner at Bentonville and Newport Film Festivals before being acquired for domestic theatrical distribution and streaming as well as selling internationally in Africa, Asia and South America. Stokes has directed two feature films and 30 episodes of television in addition to helming the award-winning short film, Think Fast.
As a producer, Stokes has co-executive produced seasons 1 & 2 of Hello Jack and seasons 3 & 4 of A Black Lady Sketch Show as well as six feature films, including Netflix’s The Lost Husband and documentary, The Rachel Divide.
Stokes lives in Los Angeles with her family and sits on the boards of the Independent Shakespeare Company.
Actor - Christina Elmore
Actor - Hannah Love Lanier
Actor - Angel Laketa Moore
Producer - Erin Owens, Lauri Levenfeld
Cinematographer - Kevin Atkinson
