Madonna To Direct Movie Based On The Life Of Orphan War Child- Michaela DePrince
Madonna has decided to make a comeback in movies, this time as a Director. She has decided to direct MGM drama ‘Taking Flight’ which is based on the life of a ballerina Michaela De Prince.
Madonna has decided to make a comeback in movies, this time as a Director. She has decided to direct MGM drama ‘Taking Flight’ which is based on the life of a ballerina Michaela De Prince. Michaela is a war orphan girl from Sierra Leone who has gone ahead to become a top ballerina. MGM studio began working on the project after it acquired the rights of Michaela’s memoir ‘Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina’ that was co-written with her adoptive mother Elaine DePrince.
Life from an orphan to a ballerina
Michaela DePrince’s original name was Mabinty Bangura and she was born into a Muslim family in Sierra Leone. As told to her adoptive parents, Michaela's father was shot dead by the Revolutionary United Front when she was mere three years old. Her mother was starved to death thereafter. Her uncle handed the little girl to an orphanage while the civil war was on. Life was not that easy for her in the orphanage too as she was often malnourished and nicknamed “devil’s child”, due to Vitiligo, a skin condition that causes depigmentation. When her orphanage was bombed, she had to flee to a refugee camp.
Facebook- Michaela DePrince
In good time, her life changed for the better when she was adopted and taken to America by Elaine and Charles DePrince, a jewish couple from New Jersey.
Today, Michaela has grown up to be an inspiring young girl who has developed a strong passion for ballet. Not only that, she was one of the stars in the 2011 documentary 'First Position' that revolves around the life of ballet dancers who are gearing up to perform at the Youth America Grand Prix. She was also the youngest dancer in the history of- Dance Theatre of Harlem.
Madonna is all praise for Michaela
“Michaela’s journey resonated with me deeply as both an artist and an activist who understands adversity,” Madonna said. “We have a unique opportunity to shed light on Sierra Leone, and let Michaela be the voice for all the orphaned children she grew up beside. I am honoured to bring her story to life.”
Madonna is passionate about topics that revolve around children especially ones who were orphaned due to unfortunate circumstances. Earlier, she wrote and produced a 2008 documentary ‘I am Because We Are’ that was about children of Malawi who were orphaned by the Aids epidemic. She even went ahead and adopted children from the same country.
The final cast of the movie or the scheduled date of the release hasn’t been confirmed yet. Producer Leslie Morgenstein believes that Michaela’s inspiring story plus Madonna’s passion for this specific project will influence and inspire audiences world-wide.
