February 20, 2015 – (Los Angeles, CA) Codeblack Films, a Lionsgate Company, has partnered with EBONY Magazine to release an original short film in honor of Black History Month, “A Lady Must Live: A Lena Horne Tribute.” 

Starring actress Salli Richardson-Whitfield (I Will Follow, “Being Mary Jane”) as the legendary Grammy and Tony Award-winning stage and screen star Lena Horne, who has a grand legacy as a groundbreaking performer, beauty icon, and passionate American civil rights activist, the short will be available exclusively on EBONY.com, and a separate two-minute version will be released today on the Codeblack and Ebony Facebook Pages.

“A Lady Must Live” coincides with Codeblack Films’ month-long social media salute to Ms. Horne and other trailblazers of Black History, including Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman to be elected to Congress and run for President, Ava DuVernay, the first African-American woman to be nominated for a Golden Globe Award and win Best Director honors at the Sundance Film Festival and Ursula Burns, the first African-American woman to serve as CEO of a Fortune 500 company.

“Our Black History Month digital series provides us with a vibrant and immediate platform to share the stories of some of the most influential figures in history.” says Codeblack Films founder and President, Jeff Clanagan. “We have steadily developed our social media footprint, and are very proud to bring the audience a look at a beautiful tribute to the amazing Lena Horne.”

For more from Codeblack, visit them on Facebook, Twitter @CodeblackLife, and Instagram @CodeblackLife.