Codeblack and Ebony Release Original Short Film

Actress Salli Richardson-Whitfield Channels Lena Horne in

"A Lady Must Live: A Lena Horne Tribute." 

February 20, 2015 – (Los Angeles, CA) Codeblack Films, a Lionsgate Company, has partnered with Ebony Magazine to release an original short film in honor of Black History Month, "A Lady Must Live: A Lena Horne Tribute." 

This mesmerizing short film stars actress Salli Richardson-Whitfield (I Will Follow, “Being Mary Jane”) as the legendary Grammy and Tony Award-winning stage and screen star Lena Horne, who has a grand legacy as a groundbreaking performer, beauty icon, and passionate American civil rights activist. It will be available exclusively on Ebony.com, and a separate two-minute version will be released today on the Codeblack and Ebony Magazine Facebook Pages.

“A Lady Must Live” coincides with Codeblack Films’ month-long social media salute to Ms. Horne and other trailblazers of Black History, including Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman to be elected to Congress and run for President, Ava DuVernay, the first African-American woman to be nominated for a Golden Globe Award and win Best Director honors at the Sundance Film Festival and Ursula Burns, the first African-American woman to serve as CEO of a Fortune 500 company.

"As a company, we are increasingly focused on developing digital content and partnerships like this one to adapt to the changing landscape of the film industry in the digital era. The key is creating content people connect with, whether it's a two hour film or a two minute short on Facebook," says Codeblack Films founder and President, Jeff Clanagan.  “Our Black History Month digital series provides us with a vibrant and immediate platform to share the stories of some of the most influential figures in history.  We have steadily developed our social media footprint, and are very proud to bring the audience a look at a beautiful tribute to the amazing Lena Horne.”

Codeblack has developed a following of more than four million fans on their Facebook pages and has rapidly become a leader and innovator in the digital media space, creating and releasing original content with Kevin Hart, Shaquille O'Neal, Sanaa Lathan, Mike Epps, and other high-profile talent.

For more information on Codeblack: facebook.com/codeblacklife,

Twitter @CodeblackLife, and Instagram @CodeblackLife. 

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FILM.: http://www.ebony.com/video/black-history/lena-horne-light-girl-lady-codeblack-ebony-short-987#.VOdJrCj1s3R