Zola (film)

Zola is a 2020 American biographical comedy-drama film directed by Janicza Bravo, from a screenplay by Bravo and Jeremy O. Harris. It stars Taylour Paige, Riley Keough, Nicholas Braun, Ari'el Stachel, and Colman Domingo.

Zola
Teaser poster
Directed byJanicza Bravo
Produced by
Screenplay by
Based onZola Tells All: The Real Story Behind the Greatest Stripper Saga Ever Tweeted
by David Kushner
Tweets by
by Aziah "Zola" King
Starring
Music byMica Levi
CinematographyAri Wegner
Edited byJoi McMillon
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release date
  • January 24, 2020 (2020-01-24) (Sundance)
  • June 30, 2021 (2021-06-30) (United States)
Running time
90 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2020. It is scheduled to be released on June 30, 2021, by A24.

Premise

The film is based on an infamous 148-tweet Twitter thread in which Zola meets a sex worker named Stefani at a restaurant where Zola waitresses, and the two immediately bond over pole dancing. Only a day after they exchange numbers, Stefani invites Zola on a cross-country road trip, where the goal is to make as much money as possible dancing in Florida strip clubs. Zola agrees, and suddenly she is trapped in the craziest, most unexpected trip of her life, partaking in a wild two-day trip with Stefani, her boyfriend Derrek, and Stefani's violent pimp, X.

Cast

Production

In October 2015, Detroit waitress Aziah "Zola" Wells posted a 148-tweet thread about a trip she took to Florida with a stripper named Jessica; the story, containing details of prostitution, murder and an attempted suicide, quickly went viral, garnering the recognition of people such as Missy Elliott, Solange Knowles and Ava DuVernay.[3] About a month later, Rolling Stone's David Kushner published an article interviewing people involved in the story; while the article noted several inconsistencies in the stories, and Wells has admitted to embellishing some of the more sensational detail, most of the involved have admitted to the general gist of the story.[3]

In February 2016, it was announced James Franco would direct the film, from a screenplay by Andrew Neel and Mike Roberts. Franco, Vince Jolivette, Christine Vachon, David Hinojosa, and Kara Baker would serve as producers on the film, under their Rabbit Bandini Productions, Killer Films and Gigi Films banners, respectively.[4] In January 2018, it was announced the film was initially set to begin production in February 2018, but was shelved following sexual misconduct allegations against Franco.[5][6] In June 2018, it was announced Janicza Bravo would direct the film, replacing Franco, while A24 would distribute.[7] In October 2018, Taylour Paige was cast in the film to play the lead role.[8] That same month, Riley Keough, Nicholas Braun, Colman Domingo and Jason Mitchell joined the cast of the film.[9][10] In November 2018, Ari'el Stachel joined the cast.[11]

Filming

Principal photography began on October 29, 2018.[12] Production concluded on December 7, 2018.[13]

Release

The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2020, where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Awards pre-screening.[14] Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions and Stage 6 Films acquired the international rights (excluding Canada and Japan) to the film.[15][16] It is scheduled to be released in the United States on June 30, 2021.[17]

Critical reception

Zola received positive reviews from film critics. It holds a 89% approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 53 reviews, with a weighted average of 7.41/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Zola captures the stranger-than-fiction appeal of the viral Twitter thread that inspired it – and announces director/co-writer Janicza Bravo as a filmmaker to watch."[18] On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 72 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[19]

References
  1. "ZOLA". Stage6.
  2. "Zola". Sundance Film Festival. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  3. Kushner, David (November 17, 2015). "The Story Behind the Greatest Stripper Saga Ever Tweeted". Rolling Stone.
  4. McNary, Dave (February 4, 2016). "James Franco to Direct 'Zola' Stripper Movie Based on Twitter Saga". Variety. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  5. Harris, Hunter (January 10, 2018). "I Wonder Why James Franco's Stripper Saga Movie Is Maybe Not Happening". Vulture. Archived from the original on October 31, 2018. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  6. Siegel, Tatiana (January 10, 2018). "How the #MeToo Movement Could Kill Some Sexy Hollywood Movies". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  7. Sneider, Jeff (June 14, 2018). "Exclusive: A24 and James Franco's Stripper Movie 'Zola' Lands 'Lemon' Director Janicza Bravo". Collider. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  8. Galuppo, Mia (October 9, 2018). "Taylour Paige Cast as Lead in A24's 'Zola' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  9. Sneider, Jeff (October 9, 2018). "Exclusive: Riley Keough, Colman Domingo Join Taylour Paige in A24's Stripper Saga 'Zola'". Collider. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  10. N'Duka, Amanda (October 30, 2018). "Jason Mitchell Joins A24's 'Zola' Movie". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  11. N'Duka, Amanda (November 19, 2018). "Ari'el Stachel Joins 'Zola';' Dirk Gently's Fiona Dourif Cast In 'Unsinkable'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
  12. Byron, Katie (October 29, 2018). "Day 1 on Zola, here's a picture of @janicza in pre prep. She totally has Royal energy and I am stoked to be in her court of creative ladies 💜". Retrieved October 30, 2018 – via Instagram.
  13. Bravo, Janicza (December 7, 2018). "Goodbye for now. Us by @kingofbingo". Retrieved December 9, 2018 – via Instagram.
  14. Siegel, Tatiana (December 4, 2019). "Sundance Unveils Female-Powered Lineup Featuring Taylor Swift, Gloria Steinem, Abortion Road Trip Drama". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  15. Kay, Jeremy (January 27, 2020). "Sony takes international rights to Sundance stripper tweetstorm saga 'Zola'". Screen Daily. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  16. "Zola". Stage 6 Films. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  17. "A24 has set a new summer date for Janicza Bravo's ZOLA--June 30, 2021". Twitter. December 17, 2020. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  18. "Zola (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  19. "Zola Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
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