The Pleiades Project To Digitally Premiere Short Opera Film

On May 1, The Pleiades Project will digitally premiere their latest short film. Ophèlie is based on the mad scene from the 1868 French Grand Opera by Ambrose Thomas, adapted and reimagined for a modern audience, and stars Denisha Ballew, who recently finished performing in Porgy and Bess with the Metropolitan Opera.

The Pleiades Project is a NYC based company that has been creating online classical music content for the last 5 years, and as part of their response to COVID-19 protocols, they are releasing this flagship short film digitally, rather than at an in-person event. The film will be released as a Youtube premiere at 6:00 PM EST. As a part of the release, The Pleiades Project is holding a competition inviting all artists to submit work based on the character of Ophelia. The winner will receive $200, a feature on The Pleiades Project website, and will have the winning entry aired before the digital screening of the film on May 1.

In producing this film, the creators hope to provide a fresh perspective on a character that has captured artistic imaginations for centuries, while also remaining true to the musical source material. Director Dara Malina says "Because we're committed to creating feminist stories that re-claim canonical work, we kept asking ourselves, how do we reclaim Ophelia (as so many have). And does she need to end her life? The film celebrates the performer as a triumph, as empowered, despite the tragedy of her plot."

Ophèlie will be released as a free live premiere on May 1, 2020 at 6:30 PM. To watch, visit the Youtube Watch Page https://youtu.be/ZLyfPkVPDYo. Ophèlie is directed by Dara Malina and stars Denisha Ballew as Ophelia. For more information, visit www.thepleiadesproject.com

Contest Submissions Entries must be inspired by and reference the character of Ophelia in some way.

• Entrants can submit by tagging us in a post on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram and including the hashtag #PleiadesOphelieChallenge

• Alternatively, entrants can email info@thepleiadesproject.com with #PleiadesOphelieChallenge in the subject line

The winner will be notified on April 30, 2020, and the winning entry will be featured as part of the premiere event on May 1, 2020.