WestEnd Films will launch Helen Reddy biopic “I Am Woman” at the American Film Market. Danielle Macdonald (“Patti Cake$”) has also been confirmed as a cast member. She will play legendary rock journalist Lilian Roxon and star alongside Tilda Cobham-Hervey (“Hotel Mumbai”) who plays singer/actor/activist Reddy, and Evan Peters (“American Animals”) who portrays Jeff Wald, her manager and husband.
Reddy notched a string of hits in the 1970s including “I Am Woman,” which hit No.1 in the U.S. charts. It became an anthem for the women’s movement in the 1970s. The film will tell the story of Reddy as an artist and a woman leading the way for others seeking equality and to smash through the patriarchy.
Unjoo Moon (“The Zen of Bennett“) will helm the picture. WestEnd acquired it under its WeLove banner, which is specifically for female-specific content, and aims to promote female talent.
“The emotional connection that Helen gave to women in her song is my core reason for making this film,” Moon said. “Helen is a woman who against all adversity was determined to make her dream come true. She not only became one of the most successful female recording artists of her time but she also broke stereotypes and led the way during the most crucial period of the women’s liberation movement.
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“Helen’s extraordinary life has the cinematic scope of great movie biographies and I aim to let the audience feel that same emotional connection to Helen’s story so that they leave the movie feeling empowered and uplifted.”
The film is being produced by Goalpost Pictures’ Rosemary Blight (“The Sapphires”), and is written by Emma Jensen (“Mary Shelley”). Academy Award-winning DoP Dion Beebe (“Chicago”) has joined a crew that also includes production designer Michael Turner (“Wolverine”) and costume designer Emily Seresin (“Top of the Lake”).
“Helen Reddy is a fascinating figure, and her story is just as current today, with Helen having performed her iconic feminist anthem ‘I Am Woman’ at the Los Angeles Women’s March in 2017,” said WestEnd Films’ managing director, Maya Amsellem.