*Gabourey Sidibe is set to make her directorial debut with the thriller “Pale Horses,” based on a story by Chris Courtney Martin.
Per PEOPLE, the story is set in the Pacific Northwest and follows Naia, a reclusive African American YA book author who has Multiple sclerosis. Naia’s life changes when she agrees to shelter a man who escaped captivity with her missing brother.
Effie T. Brown (Dear White People) and Wellington Love (The United States vs. Billie Holiday) will produce the project for Gamechanger Films.
“I’m super excited to work with Gamechanger on my first feature!” Sidibe said in a statement obtained by Deadline. “This project is a true stand-out and the character of ‘Naia’ is a Bad Ass! Effie and Wellington are powerhouse visionaries and I’m so excited to be able to work with them to create this gripping thriller with complex characters.”
READ MORE: Gabourey Sidibe Opens Up to Taraji P. Henson About Bulimia & Depression Issues / WATCH
Brown said, “I have known Gabourey for some time and am always impressed with her skills as a storyteller, both as an actor or author. She will be an incredible force behind Pale Horse.”
In related news, Gabby has partnered with the Child Mind Institute to launch the Getting Better Together campaign to encourage kids to reach out for help with their mental struggles.
“When I was around 19 or 20, I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety and an eating disorder,” Sidibe shared with PEOPLE. “I remember having almost no one, really, to turn to. I couldn’t talk about it with my parents, or my friends or my friend’s parents. Everyone would tell me I was too young, too young to feel sad all the time or too young to feel stressed out.”
“Everyone around me seemed to be trying to convince me that I wasn’t feeling what I was feeling,” she continued. “Luckily enough, my own voice saying that something was wrong was louder.”
“I found my own ability to save myself. I know that a lot of people don’t have that ability or don’t even see it as an option, which is really why the Getting Better Together initiative from the Child Mind Institute is so important,” she added. “If you or a young person you know is struggling, please go to ChildMind.org for resources and help.”
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