Alicia Keys is a triple-threat — singer, writer, and actress — and now director to her impressive list of talents.
Keys is one of five high-profile women (the others being Jennifer Aniston, Demi Moore, Penelope Spheeris and Patty Jenkins, the latter of whom directed the Oscar-winning film Monster) who co-directed a Lifetime movie called Project Five. As part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the movie is an anthology of five short, groundbreaking films with interconnected stories, all of which explore how breast cancer affects people’s lives.
The project uses humor and drama to focus on the effect that breast cancer and its diagnosis have on relationships and the way women perceive themselves, while searching for strength, comfort, medical breakthroughs and, ultimately, a cure.
Alicia Keys directs one of the shorts, titled “Lili,” with Rosario Dawson in the title role as a woman whose diagnosis affects her relationships with her sister, played by Tracee Ellis Ross, and mother, played by Jenifer Lewis.
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Here’s what Alicia had to say about her new-found love for directing:
“Films like this are a win-win for Black women, who are twice as likely to die from breast cancer than women of others ethnicities due to later detection and delayed treatment. There are currently 2.5 million breast cancer survivors in the United States,” the talented star shared.
While breast cancer death rates are going down – likely a result of early detection – it’s estimated that nearly 200,000 new cases are diagnosed annually, with 40,000 deaths attributed to the disease each year.
To find out more about breast cancer prevention, symptoms, and treatments, visit BDO’s Breast Cancer Channel.
