Film Independent’s Fiscal Sponsorship program opens the door to nonprofit funding for independent filmmakers and media artists. Donate today and help bring Scenes From Our Marriage to life.

Logline

A determined Legbani (Yolonda Ross) finally has it all, finding love with her charismatic co-star Ela’ (Clarke Peters) on Broadway and earning her first Tony nomination. Just when it seems that everything is on the rise, her world unexpectedly comes crashing down by the ultimate betrayal.
 

Synopsis

SYNOPSIS-
Scenes From Our Marriage is a visually stunning film exploring love, power dynamics, and race within the world of Broadway theater and personal relationships. This story of love and loss takes place over three acts, each representing a different part of our couple’s life together.

Act I Legbani, a determined character actress, fulfills her dream of starring on Broadway, when she’s cast opposite the critically acclaimed actor, Ela’ Gaye, in a new controversial play called “What a Difference a Shade Makes”. Despite their age difference, they quickly hit it off with Ela’ becoming mentor, friend and lover to Legbani. At the end of the act the couple marries.

Act II We delve into the couples’ life together, focusing on work and all the entrapments that go with that, both onstage and off. Legbani is on the rise and in high demand with her Tony nomination . She wins the Tony, but her victory is cooled by Ela’s regret of never having this opportunity during his illustrious career.

Act III The cast celebrates, but it soon ends when Legbani finds Ela’ in a compromising position with a castmate of theirs. The relationship is turned upside down and major turmoil now plagues the play. Legbani’s pain deepens as she forgives Ela’ but is unable to forget. Legbani finds herself forced to contend with what it means to love and succeed as a black female artist in show business, as she contemplates her next steps to move forward.
 

Meet the Filmmakers

Yolonda Ross — Writer/Director
Yolonda Ross is a celebrated two-time Film Independent Spirit Award nominee and IFP Gotham Award winner, for her roles in HBO’s Stranger Inside and John Sayle’s Go For Sisters. She recently wrote for and appeared in Showtime’s American Gigolo. Her directorial debut, Breaking Night, evolved into the music video for BLINDED BY THE LIGHT airing on VH1 Classics and MTV. A distinguished alumni of Film Independent, IFP, and Sundance, Ross’s diverse credits include HBO’s Treme, Netflix’s The Get Down, LifetimeTV’s Whitney, and she’s in her seventh year of portraying series regular, “Jada Washington” in the Lena Waithe hit series, The CHI.

Laura Ivey — Producer
Laura Ivey is a seasoned film producer with over 26 years of experience in film, television, and theater, specializing in production, finance, and sales. Her notable projects include the Sundance-premiered Walking Out, Meg Ryan’s directorial debut Ithaca, and the musical adaptation The Last Five Years. She also produced the Sundance breakout hit The Spectacular Now. Laura is currently developing the musical American Eclipse.

Jeffrey Waxman — Executive Producer
Jeffrey Waxman has produced over thirty features in his distinguished career, including Academy Award-winning films. He’s known for his collaborations on thought-provoking features such as The Fighter, Don’t Look Up, VICE, and John Wick 2 & 3. Waxman also has successfully produced a variety of independent films, including Concrete Cowboy, and Narc, to name a few.

Make a donation to Scenes From Our Marriage.

Contact

For inquiries, please contact fiscalsponsorship@filmindependent.org.