EXCLUSIVE: Rhiannon Giddens, the Pulitzer Prize and Grammy-winning folk artist seen on CMT’s Nashville, will star opposite Ed Helms (The Hangover, The Office) in An Ode to Mary Jo, an upcoming indie drama marking the feature directorial debut of Justin Liberman.
Recently wrapping production, the film follows Mary Jo, a single mother navigating the most pivotal day of her life, as she confronts a series of escalating challenges that could reshape her family’s future. As she balances birthday plans for her nine-year-old daughter, mounting tensions with her independence-seeking teenager, and the growing mystery of a missing ex-husband, Mary Jo is propelled into a relentless Odyssey-like journey.
Written by Liberman and Erik Christian Hanson, the film also stars Annarah Cymone (The Midnight Club), Oakley Skye Maloney (Suncoast), Grammy winner Jason Isbell (Killers of the Flower Moon), Oscar-nominated filmmaker John Sayles (Matewan), Golden Globe winner Regina Taylor (Clockers), and Grammy winner Steve Earle (The Wire).
Mike Callaghan and Reuben Liber produced for Ranger 7 Films, along with Matt Ratner for Tilted Windmill Productions, Brenton Earley for FilmPool Films, Aaron Rosenbloom, Chris Rouse, and Liberman. Giddens is also serving as music supervisor and wrote original songs for the film with Helms and Isbell, with Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Abels (Get Out) penning the score. Giddens exec produced the indie alongside Helms and Mike Falbo for Pacific Electric Picture Company, Mitch Lerner for Electric Wolf Entertainment, and Eran Lobel and Kristen Kearns for Element Productions, with Brett Harris co-producing for Pacific Electric.
“With An Ode to Mary Jo, I wanted to update the idea of an American folk hero and create a character and tell a story that millions of hard-working Americans can relate to and see themselves in,” Liberman said. “Rhiannon, with her lifelong dedication to activism and protest music, is the perfect partner to embody this spirit and bring Mary Jo to life. We hope the character can help introduce a new definition of Americana—one that transcends politics and reflects the dignity of today’s working class.”
Collectively, the producers added, “We feel genuinely privileged to have been part of this film—exactly the kind of deeply human story that’s becoming increasingly difficult to champion in today’s landscape. The caliber of artists on both sides of the camera, led by the extraordinary Rhiannon Giddens, who rallied behind Justin’s vision out of pure passion, was nothing short of inspiring.”
A singer and multi-instrumentalist, Giddens co-founded the Grammy-winning string band Carolina Chocolate Drops before going on to a celebrated solo career spanning traditional folk, classical composition and contemporary songwriting, earning multiple Grammys, as well as a Pulitzer Prize for the opera Omar, penned with Abels. To date, she’s released five solo albums: Tomorrow Is My Turn (2015), Freedom Highway (2017), There Is No Other (2021), They’re Calling Me Home (2021), and You’re the One (2023). As a self-described “armchair historian,” Giddens has sought to underscore the Black roots of American music across the folk, bluegrass and country genres. Recently serving as a music consultant for Ryan Coogler’s Warner Bros. smash Sinners, she played herself in an episode of NBC’s Parenthood, with a more prominent recurring role on CMT’s Nashville from 2016-2018. She is repped by Red Light Management and Paradigm.
A SAG Ensemble winner, Helms has most recently been seen starring opposite Jennifer Garner in Netflix’s comedy Family Switch. Other upcoming projects include Lauren Miller Rogen’s Babies, the hockey dramedy Smudge the Blades from Cody Lightning, and The Stunt Driver with Jay Baruchel. He is repped by UTA and Schreck Rose Dapello.
Cymone is repped by Innovative Artists and Authentic Talent & Literary Management; Maloney by Exclusive Artists Agency; Isbell by WME and Traci Thomas; Sayles by Magnet Management; Taylor by Innovative Artists and Oxford Talent Management; and Earle by Gold Village Management and UTA.