''Ricky'' is a 2025 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

, directed and produced by Rashad Frett, in his directorial debut, from a screenplay by Frett and Lin Que Ayoung. It is an expansion of the 2023 short film of the same name by Frett. It stars Stephan James,

Sheryl Lee Ralph Sheryl Lee Ralph (born December 30, 1956) is an American actress and singer. Known for her performances on stage and screen, she earned acclaim for her role as Deena Jones in the Broadway musical ''Dreamgirls'' (1981), for which she was nomi ...

Titus Welliver Titus B. Welliver (born March 12, 1962) is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayals of the Man in Black in '' Lost'', Silas Adams in '' Deadwood'', Jimmy O'Phelan in '' Sons of Anarchy'', and the title role in the television ser ...

, Maliq Johnson, Imani Lewis, Simbi Kali and Andrene Ward-Hammond. It had its world premiere at the

2025 Sundance Film Festival The 2025 Sundance Film Festival took place in person from January 23 to February 2, 2025, in Park City, Utah, Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah, and online from January 30 to February 2. The first selection lineup was announced on December 11, ...

on January 24, 2025.

Premise

After being imprisoned in his teenage years, Ricky, now an adult, navigates the challenges of life post-incarceration.

Cast

* Stephan James as Ricardo "Ricky" Smith *

as Joanne *

as Leslie Torino * Maliq Johnson as James * Imani Lewis as Jaz * Simbi Kali as Winsome * Andrene Ward-Hammond as Cheryl *

Sean Nelson Sean Nelson is an American musician and journalist. He was the lead singer of the alternative rock group Harvey Danger and was a writer and editor for alternative weekly publication ''The Stranger (newspaper), The Stranger'' from 1996 to 2018. ...

as Terrence

Production

In January 2023, it was announced Rashad Frett would direct a feature-length version of his short film of the same name. The screenplay was selected for the 2023

Sundance Institute Sundance Institute is a non-profit organization founded by actor Robert Redford committed to the growth of independent artists. The institute is driven by its programs that discover and support independent filmmakers, theatre artists and compo ...

Screenwriting Lab.

Release

The film had its world premiere at the

on January 24, 2025.

Reception

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, tt27827635 2025 drama films 2025 films 2025 independent films 2025 directorial debut films 2020s American films 2020s English-language films American drama films American independent films English-language drama films English-language independent films Upcoming English-language films