The year 2021 has already been a whirlwind for Kyra Jones. In the span of just a few months, the 28-year-old Chicagoan has landed her first full-time position as a staff writer for Hulu’s Woke, made plans to move to Los Angeles, and released the proof-of-concept trailer for her upcoming feature film, Go to the Body.
Go to the Body is Jones’s directorial debut. The project is a shorter version of what will eventually be Jones’s feature-length film, which she’s currently raising money for. She hopes to shoot in the spring or summer of 2022 and premiere in 2023. The project won The Pitch at the Chicago International Film Festival in October, and the proof-of-concept will be screened with OTV on April 19 as part of “Unpacking Intimacy on Brave Sets,” a discussion with Jones and others about intimacy coordination and hand-to-hand combat on film sets.
Following the #MeToo movement, portrayals of sexual assault have been depicted more frequently in film and media. Most recently, Jones hated Promising Young Woman but loved HBO’s I May Destroy You. Jones is glad to see more nuanced depictions of sexual violence and rape culture, but she still believes that there’s room for improvement: she wants to see more intersectional survivor stories that center women of color. She says putting these stories in the hands of Black women is a step in the right direction, something she hopes Go to the Body can contribute to.
Mon 4/19, 7:30 PM, bit.ly/otvunpackingintimacy
