Pretty Red Dress: An interview with Alexandra Burke and Natey Jones

A first feature film from writer and director Dionne Edwards, Pretty Red Dress is an emotive journey of family, resilience and self-exploration, set in a close-knit South London borough, where Candice (Alexandra Burke) is living with her teenage daughter, Kenisha (Temilola Olatunbosun). The pair have struggled to find their footing after partner and father Travis (Natey Jones) spent a year in jail, and are navigating a new chapter after his release when he comes back to live in the family home. Trying to make amends, Travis buys Candice a show-stopping new dress for an audition for the lead in a Tina Turner musical she’s been recalled for, but when he finds it an enticing prospect to try it on himself when alone in the house, confusion, mistrust and new revelations follow. 

The Upcoming had the pleasure of speaking to Burke and Jones about their different and challenging roles in the film, the significance of the red dress itself and what it meant to challenge the social expectations of Black masculinity. They also spoke about shooting their more intimate scenes and how they worked carefully to bring them to screen. Burke also spoke about working with newcomer Olatunbosun as her daughter, as well as how she felt the script really tapped into her own self. 

Ezelle Alblas 

Pretty Red Dress is released in select cinemas on 16^th June 2023. Read our review here.

Watch the trailer for Pretty Red Dress here:

Catch our interview with the director during London Film Festival 2022: