Simbi Kali Returns to Sundance with "Ricky"

The Golden Globe-nominated actress reprises the role of Winsome in the feature-length film of the award-winning short, “Ricky.”

PARK CITY, UT, UNITED STATES, January 21, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Best known for her role in the award-winning TV show "Third Rock from the Sun" (Golden Globe winner for Best Comedy) and the award-winning films "We Were Soldiers" and "Mississippi Damned," Simbi Kali will premier her upcoming feature-length film "Ricky" at the Sundance Film Festival this Friday, Jan. 24, 2025.

Originally a short film, "Ricky" debuted at Sundance in 2023 and was nominated for the Short Film Grand Jury Prize. The film went on to the 2023 Woodstock Film Festival, winning the Best Short Film Award – making it an Oscar qualifier.

Kali is reprising her role as Winsome, a single mother who struggles to help her 30-year-old son assimilate back into society after serving a 15-year sentence for robbery and attempted murder while simultaneously grappling with the guilt of possibly playing a role in her son’s incarceration.

“My character is a devout Christian trying to keep her sons out of jail and on the straight and narrow. As a Zen, free-range mother in real life, I enjoyed the challenge of playing a mother who is tough as nails and dealing with the heavy issues facing Winsome. What an honor to stand in the gap and play in those colors,” says Kali.

Director Rashad Frett has recast the lead role with Stephan James ("If Beale Street Could Talk" and "Race") as Ricardo “Ricky” Smith. However, Maliq Johnson ("The Equalizer" and "The Many Saints of Newark") will reprise his role as James, Ricky’s brother. Kali and Johnson are the only original cast members reprising their roles in "Ricky."

"Ricky" will premiere at 3 p.m. MST at the Echo Theatre, on Jan. 24. It will also be screened at 8:30 a.m. MST at the Library Centre Theatre, on Jan. 25; at 2 p.m. MST at the Rose Wagner Center, on Jan. 29; at 11 a.m. MST at the Redstone Cinemas -4, on Jan. 30; and at 6:30 p.m. MST at the Holiday Village Cinemas, on Feb. 2.

In addition to being an actress, Kali is a rising screenwriter and aspiring director. Her screenplay "Crushing" won the Harlem International Film Festival’s Best Short Script Award. And her screenplay, "The Mostly True Stories of Belle Williams," is a finalist in the Sunvale Screenplay Contest. She hopes to make her directorial debut with this script in 2025. Her next project, "Unsolicited," is a short film by first-time director Kaleina Mai, examining online dating and unsolicited pictures. It is currently in post-production and will premiere this year. You can follow her on Instagram @kalialkemi.

Simone Amato Mason
The Mason Writing Boutique
+1 310-591-7717
smason@themasonwritingboutique.com
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