Director Numa Perrier, of House of Numa Productions, along with Livia Perrier, of Bazile Productions, are bringing the life of the renowned author, poet, and feminist Audre Lorde to the big screen Deadline reports.
In an official statement, Perrier detailed her admiration for Lorde’s work and how she envisions bringing the project to life.
“Audre Lorde lived fully, loved fiercely, and used her words as both weapon and salve. We seek to honor her in an intimate yet bold way,” the director said. “The stories of our poets are necessary as their work continues to give shape and make sense of the world. Audre Lorde said 'your silence will not protect you'—and I believe creating a film is one of the most impactful ways to use our voices. House of Numa is dedicated to the centering of Black women who have so often had to work on the fringe yet still impinge society in a powerful way such as Audre Lorde. “
Before gaining international notoriety as a writer, Lorde, a graduate of Hunter College, and Columbia University, was a librarian. In 1968, she released her first volume of poetry, First Cities. Later, she would go on to publish other volumes of poetry such as Cables to Rage (1970), From a Land Where Other People Live (1973), and New York Head Shop and Museum (1975).
In addition to her poetry, Lorde penned volumes of nonfiction essays that garnered her critical acclaim such as The Cancer Journals (1980), in which she documents her struggle with breast cancer and A Burst of Light (1989).
Her work examined and challenged the intersection of race, gender, sexuality, and class in America.
After fighting cancer for more than a decade and taking the African name, Gamba Adisa, meaning "she who makes her meaning clear,” Lorde passed away November 17, 1992, on the island of St. Croix.
As a director, Perrier made her autobiographical feature debut with Jezebel and won SXSW Critics Pick in 2019. The film also received Best Feature Film and Best Director at The American Black Film Festival and Perrier also received a spot on Rotten Tomatoes 2021 Directors to Watch List.
Currently, Perrier is in post-production on the Netflix romantic comedy The Perfect Find starring Gabrielle Union and is set for a 2022 release. Also, she’s set to star in the upcoming thriller FuzzyHead due to be released next year.
