NEW YORK - When it comes to entertainment, artist Radha Blank does it all. The playwright-turned-writer-turned-actor-turned director is about to see her new film “The-Forty-Year-Old Version” reach a global audience. 

The movie features Radha as, well -- Radha: "This person is probably 75 percent me. This person has had, uh, a very limited idea of success, especially when it pertains to age and accomplishments. And we see her kind of reconfigure her idea around what success is," the filmmaker said.

What You Need To Know

  • The 2020 Sundance Film Festival hit, “The-Forty-Year-Old Version,” is about to be released worldwide in select theaters and on NETFLIX 

  • The movie was shot here in the city and even features a familiar NY1 face on screen

The film, which follows Radha as she goes from playwright to rapper, was shot in black and white 35 millimeter in 21 days all over New York City.

"There’s the moment in the script where it says 'exterior, Brownsville stoop.' And I remember one of my producers saying, 'Oh, and so what are we going to shoot for Brownsville, Brooklyn?' I said, 'Brownsville, Brooklyn!' So we shot all over New York, from the top of the Bronx to deep in the heart of Brownsville, just wanting to create an authentic New York," said the playwright.

And Radha said not only does the story mirror her own life, it actually mirrors mine, well sort of. I have a cameo in the film.

"I mean, I don't know how much of a stretch it was to play Frank DiLella, but you were amazing and you really, your presence in the film really helps to authenticate the world. You know what I mean? Cause you're a real person working in and around theater," said Blank of my participation in the film.

Radha even earned the 2020 Sundance Film Directing award.

"Sometimes when it comes to Black storytelling, I feel like the stories maybe aren't as nuanced as Black life. When it comes to contemporary stories, there seems to be a celebration of our pain and struggle. So yeah, it really is just kinda like a satirical poke at, you know, some of the compromises I've made or felt like I've had to make to be relevant as a theater artist. And me also wanting theater, challenging theater and the gatekeepers to see a broader, more interesting view of Black life on stage, you know?" said Blank. 

You can catch “The-Forty-Year-Old Version” on NETFLIX, out now.