Exclusive: Ariana DeBose and director Gabriela Cowperthwaite talk sci-fi thriller I.S.S.
Hitting theaters on Jan. 19 from Bleecker Street is acclaimed director Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s gripping sci-fi thriller, I.S.S., starring Academy Award-winner Ariana DeBose, John Gallagher Jr., Masha Mashkova, Pilou Asbæk, Costa Ronin, and Chris Messina.
Tensions flare in the near future aboard the International Space Station as a worldwide conflict breaks out on Earth. Reeling, the US and Russian astronauts aboard each receive orders from the ground; take control of the station by any means necessary. DeBose will play Kira Foster, a promising biological engineer and the newest arrival of six astronauts aboard the ISS.
Nick Shafir wrote the screenplay, which was featured in the recent 2020 Black List.
DeBose won an Oscar for her performance as Anita in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, and was Tony-nominated in 2018 for her role as “Disco Donna” in Broadway’s Summer: The Donna Summer Musical. She was part of the Off Broadway cast of Hamilton. Her TV and film credits include the Apple TV+ series Schmigadoon! and the Netflix adaptation of the Broadway musical The Prom. Last seen in the Disney animated film Wish, she’ll next be seen in the feature films Kraven the Hunter, House of Spoils, and Argylle.
Cowperthwaite directed Our Friend starring Casey Affleck, Dakota Johnson and Jason Segel. She is also known for her award winning documentary Blackfish, as well as her narrative debut Megan Leavey.
Blackfilmandtv.com’s Wilson Morales spoke with DeBose and Cowperthwaite on the making of I.S.S.