Via Twitter @jeremyoharrisFilm & TV / NewsFilm & TV / NewsSex, murder, and a near-suicide: the Zola stripper film is finally hereBased on the viral 2015 Twitter thread, the movie is set to premiere at Sundance 2020ShareLink copied ✔️December 5, 2019December 5, 2019TextBrit Dawson The film we’ve all been waiting for has finally arrived: Zola’s viral Twitter story is ready for the big screen, and is set to premiere at Sundance 2020. If you haven’t read Zola’s (AKA Aziah King) thread, you can find the full story here. It details a wild weekend in Florida after Zola meets Hooters waitress and “white bitch” Jess. The next day – after quickly bonding over their shared “hoeism” – the pair take a trip with Jess’ boyfriend Jarrett and “hulking black guy” (and pimp) Z. What starts off as a stripping roadtrip descends into sex, murder, and a near-suicide. Since the story went viral on Twitter in 2015, we’ve been itching for the film adaption, even dreaming up our ideal cast – and now that day is here. Despite James Franco previously reported at the helm, Zola is set to be directed by Atlanta-collaborator Janicza Bravo, who also co-wrote the script with Jeremy O. Harris. Announcing the film on Twitter, O. Harris wrote: “Merry XXX-Mas. Who’s ready to vibe over ho-ho-ho-isms @sundancefest??? Because ZOLA is coming.” Merry 💋XXX💋-Mas 💄🎄!Who’s ready to vibe over ho 💅🏾- ho 👯♀️- ho 💦isms @sundancefest??? Because 💗ZOLA💗 is coming. pic.twitter.com/VPysdkGZce— Jeremy O. Harris (@jeremyoharris) December 4, 2019 Speaking about Bravo, the writer continued: “The only reason I was hired to co-write Zola was because a black woman and genius believed in me. Her belief ushered, me an unproductive playwright, onto the most fun team ever and she has changed my life.” The cast stars Taylour Paige as Zola and Riley Keough as Jess, with Nicholas Braun playing her boyfriend Jarrett and Colman Domingo as her pimp, Z – though their names have seemingly been changed to Derrek and X. Jason Mitchell is also on board as a character called Mitch, with Ari’el Stachel playing someone named Sean. Zola will premiere at Sundance in Utah, with the festival running from January 23 to February 2. It’s likely most of us still won’t see the film for a while, but at least the thought of its imminent arrival will help us through our January blues. Escape the algorithm! Get The DropEmail address SIGN UP Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday. Privacy policy Thank you. You have been subscribed Privacy policy Expand your creative community and connect with 15,000 creatives from around the world.READ MOREHow Daniel Blumberg turned water, wind and silence into a film scoreDazed x MUBI Cinema Club’s season finale: Father Mother Sister Brother6LILITH6: Inside the witchy femme mall cult of Forbidden FruitsDJ Ahmet, a coming-of-ager about an EDM-obsessed teen sheep farmerWho is Takashi Miike? An intro to Japanese cinema’s cult provocateurThe Good Boy is a sick, twisted nightmare about delinquent teensArco, a striking, soul-stirring sci-fi about lonely kids in 2075Bill Skarsgård and Gus Van Sant on their scrappy thriller Dead Man’s WireScarlet: Anime legend Mamoru Hosoda’s trippy new take on Hamlet7 unmissable films from South by Southwest 2026 Why fans are turning against Timothée ChalametOscars 2026: The biggest snubs from this year’s nominationsEscape the algorithm! Get The DropEmail address SIGN UP Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday. Privacy policy Thank you. You have been subscribed Privacy policy