Nov 3, 2015

Circle Blue Media is pleased to announce the start of photography on Writer/Director Stella Meghie’s feature film debut of her award-winning screenplay JEAN OF THE JONESES. Shooting in Toronto and New York, the cast includes newcomer Taylour Paige (“Hit The Floor”), Emmy winner Sherri Shepherd (Chris Rock’s TOP FIVE, “30 Rock”), Michelle Hurst (“Orange is the New Black”, SHERRYBABY), Erica Ash (“Survivor’s Remorse”, SCARY MOVIE 5), Mamoudou Athie (“The Get Down”), Francois Arnaud (upcoming THE PEOPLE GARDEN, "The Borgias"), and Golden Globe and Emmy nominee Gloria Reuben (“Mr. Robot”, LINCOLN).  Circle Blue Media’s Amos Adetuyi (YOU GOT SERVED: BEAT THE WORLD) is producing with Floyd Kane (upcoming ACROSS THE LINE). Poke Prod principals Sean Dwyer and Elizabeth Cullen (upcoming TAMMI TERRELL BIOPIC) are executive producers.

Circle Blue Media President and Producer, Amos Adetuyi remarked, “I’m excited to be bringing such an acclaimed property as Jean of the Joneses to the screen.  Stella is an incredible rising talent.”

Writer/Director Stella Meghie added, “It's exciting to be directing a film so close to me. I grew up around a lot of women, a lot of dry humor. I couldn't imagine a funnier, more talented cast to play the Joneses.”

Jean of the Joneses is a comedy-drama about 25-year-old Jean (Taylour Paige) and her multi-generational dysfunctional, middle-class Jamaican-American family of strong-minded, stubborn yet incredibly loving women. When an estranged grandfather dies on the doorstep of the family’s brownstone during Sunday dinner, tensions rise, old conflicts come to a boil, and things come to an arresting stop as Jean uncovers the family’s buried secrets. The Jones women face their divorces, infidelities, and past transgressions, while Jean faces the tough truths of her failing career and her crippling ability to move on from a past relationship to the love staring her right in the face.

Toronto-born filmmaker Stella Meghie is the recipient of the Showtime’s Tony Cox Award in Screenwriting, an alumna of Berlinale Talents, The Screenwriters Colony, and Writers Guild of Canada Screenwriters Program. Jean of the Joneses was one of ten filmmaking teams, and the only Canadian film, selected to participate in Tribeca Film Festival’s 2014 Tribeca All Access Program. Stella has a blind script deal with Warner Bros. and a comedy pilot optioned by BET Networks. She was one of Playback Magazine’s 2015 ‘Five to Watch.”

The film was made possible with the financial participation of Telefilm Canada and Tenth Productions Inc., a subsidiary of Radio One. Search Engine Films will distribute the film in Canada.