Created Equal is Directed by Legendary Actor/Director Bill Duke
Atlanta, GA — Director/actor, Bill Duke, brings together an all-star cast for the award winning, independently produced legal thriller, Created Equal starring Aaron Tveit (Les Misérables, Graceland, Grease Live), Edy Ganem (Lifetime TV’s Devious Maids), veteran actors Lou Diamond Phillips (La Bamba, Longmire) Greg Alan Williams (OWN TV’s Greenleaf, BayWatch), and Yohance Myles (Shots Fired).
Currently touring the film festival circuit, the buzz on Created Equal is high. The film has won two Sunscreen Film Festival Awards: Best Actor (Tveit) and Best Director (Duke), and most recently, nominations for an Imagen Award for for Lou Diamond Phillips for Best Actor – Feature Film and and Best Actress – Feature Film for Edy Ganem.
Created Equal follows the story of Thomas “Tommy” Reilly (Tveit), a cocky, up-and-coming attorney, begrudgingly takes on a case for Sister Alejandra “Allie” Batista (Ganem), who’s desperate to become a priest in the Catholic Church.
Against his supervisor’s wishes, Tommy files suit against the Archdiocese of New Orleans for sex discrimination without justifiable cause. As the trial unfolds, an extremist concocts a plot to stop the heresy against the church by attacking and threatening to kill Alejandra if they don’t back off.
Tommy’s faith and conviction are tested, and as he’s challenged to question his purpose, he begins the transformation from an egotistical, arrogant person, to one who is committed to a mission larger than his own self-interests.
For their portrayals in the film celebrated Hollywood actor, Lou Diamond Phillips, and “one-to-watch” Latina actress, Edy Ganem, were amongthe nominees for the Imagen Award, which will be handed out on August 18th. Phillips has been nominated for “Best Actor – Feature Film” for his role as Monsignor Renzulli, while Ganem has been nominated for “Best Actress – Feature Film” for her portrayal as Alexandra ‘Allie’ Batista.
Created Equal explores how having a higher purpose can be life-changing. Based on the novel written by Roger A. Brown, who also serves as Executive Producer of the film, it gives a voyeuristic view of the stained-glass ceiling that exists for women in the Catholic Church without actually taking sides.
The Created Equal cast has a lot to say about the film’s intent to spark a worldwide conversation:
“I’m always interested in people and characters who are complicated and where there’s an ability for them to change. My character Tommy took on the case because of the challenge and to win, but then he becomes intrigued by Allie’s conviction and begins to question his own faith, what faith means to him, his family and himself. This film isn’t just about religion. It’s about these types of themes – gender equality, inclusion, and acceptance – and how they apply to our lives today.” – Aaron Tveit
“Created Equal presents a fascinating and compelling proposition about faith and the current state of the world in regards to equality, representation and inclusion, and I was very excited to be part of this thought provoking project. I have long contemplated the line between tradition and where we currently are as a society. I was also thrilled to play Monsignor Renzulli, who in a lesser film, would just be the bad guy. However, true to the novel, and in Bill Duke’s sensitive hands, Renzulli is presented as a man of iron-clad faith and an intellectual who is fervent in his defense of theological philosophy and tradition.” – Lou Diamond Phillips
“It was very meaningful for me to be a part of Created Equal and play the role of such an inspiring and strong female character. I knew I was going to be sending a positive message through my work; a message that would show girls all around the world the importance of following their dreams and staying true to themselves as Allie did.” – Edy Ganem
“The great part about working with great actors is collaboration. It was a collaboration working with this entire cast. With Tveit, my job was to direct him through the difficult times of the character arc. The character starts one way, connects with his humanity, and he changes. He changes from a person who is self-oriented to a person who cares about something larger than his ego and his self-interests. That’s a message that we really wanted to put forth in this movie. – Bill Duke
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