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Beneath the Scar

Author, long-time educator, motivational speaker, Dr. Shelia Samone' Brown's book, Beneath the Scar: Rise to Healing, has been adapted as a screenplay, by Director Cynthia Reid Wills. Beneath the Scar: The Movie reveals the story of SAMANTHA NICOLE ALLEN (Nykol Harris), the beautiful Mississippi debutante and member of one of the town's most prominent families. SAMANTHA finds herself entangled in a trap of abuse at the hands of her college boyfriend, STEPHEN GRAY (Rocco C. Hill). In the midst of her own trials, SAMANTHA is awakened by the despair, tragedies, strength and resilience of others who endured abuse.

  • Cynthia Reid Wills
    Director
    Content of Character
  • Dr. Shelia Samone Brown
    Writer
    Beneath the Scar: Rise To Healing
  • Cynthia Reid Wills
    Writer
    Content of Character
  • Dr. Shelia Samone Brown
    Producer
  • Nykol Harris
    Key Cast
    "Samantha Nicole Allen"
  • Rocco C. Hill
    Key Cast
    "Stephen Gray"
  • Tymille Adams
    Key Cast
    "Candace Morgan"
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 9 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    March 3, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    25,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    RED
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Irving Arts Center
    Irving, Texas
    United States
    March 3, 2019
    Beneath the Scar Premiere
  • University of North Texas Dallas
    Dallas, Texas
    United States
    April 23, 2019
    Beneath the Scar Screening
  • Angelika Theatre
    Dallas, Texas
    United States
    April 4, 2019
    Beneath the Scar Screening
  • Angelika Theatre
    Dallas, Texas
    United States
    April 11, 2019
    Beneath the Scar Screening
Director Biography - Cynthia Reid Wills

Cynthia Reid Wills makes her debut as a film director with Beneath the Scar. Cynthia is known for her work, Content of Character: The Diary of a Young Black Girl and the movie Content of Character. The book and film detail Wills' desegregation experiences during the seventh grade in 1966, when she was influenced by King's teachings as one of the few black youths to integrate her hometown school. The works also explore her later triumph over an abusive marriage and the strength and wisdom she learned from a strong, Christian-based black family. Integration and strength of character are prominent themes.
"When I was in seventh grade in 1966, that was only about a hundred years after the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation," Wills said "People know about the Little Rock Nine and Ruby Bridges. But, like mine, there are so many other African-American experiences during integration."
Wills took about a decade to write and publish Content of Character. Afterward, she reluctantly endured friends and family who insisted that she should turn the work into a film. She moved to Dallas and, despite having no money, promised her dying brother and chief encourager that she would pursue plans for a movie.
Source-Dallas Weekly News

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Director Statement

"I was born 11 days after the May 17, 1954, U.S. Supreme Court ruling that said school segregation was unconstitutional," Wills said. "Public integration of schools, water fountains and such is only about as old as I am."