Director Tamika Miller’s Undercard–which won the Audience Award for Best U.S. Narrative Feature at the Newport Beach Film Festival, as well as the Best Independent Film Award from last year’s St. Louis International Film Festival–is set for its national theatrical release on February 27.
The film, which Miller co-wrote with Anita M. Cal, stars Wanda Sykes in her first dramatic role. She portrays a former boxer and recovering alcoholic who attempts to reconnect with the son she abandoned 16 years earlier.
Miller said of Undercard, “The film grew from a time in my life when I was immersed in boxing–not as a spectator, but as part of my daily workout. I spent time at Wild Card Boxing Gym in Los Angeles, getting to know up-and-coming and retired fighters. They were singular, resilient characters, driven by the belief that boxing could be their way out of humble circumstances. As a storyteller, I noticed a story that hadn’t been told: a woman boxing trainer commanding authority in a male-dominated world. That absence pulled me in.”
The writer-director credited Sykes with delivering “a performance of remarkable vulnerability and emotional truth. Alongside a talented, deeply committed cast, she helps carry this story with honesty and care. Made by a predominantly women-led team, Undercard is about facing what we leave behind, and the courage it takes to return. My hope is that audiences leave with greater compassion for themselves and others–because honesty, even without guaranteed redemption, is where healing begins.”
Undercard adds to a filmography for Miller which also includes Honor Student, an indie feature she directed, co-wrote and co-produced. Starring Emmy-nominated actress Kelly Jenrette and actor Hudson Yang, Honor Student won Best Feature Film at the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival, the Indie Spirit Award at the Boston International Film Festival, Best Feature Film at the Morehouse Human Rights Film Festival, Best Actress at the Los Angeles IFS Film Festival, and the Best Director Award at the Harlem International Film Festival. The drama is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
An alum of SHOOT’s 2019 New Directors Showcase, Miller has varied television credits spanning such shows as NBC’s Quantum Leap, CBS’ The Equalizer; and ABC/Shondaland’s Station 19.
Miller’s work has earned other assorted honors including Best Commercial at the LA Femme Festival; the Showtime Black Filmmaker Showcase Grand Prize for Best Short Narrative–with her short films airing on the Showtime cable network; and the Outfest Audience Award for Outstanding Short Narrative.
An advocate for storytelling where women and people of color are at the center, Miller co-founded Black Films Travel–a conscious initiative that dispels the myth that Black films don’t make money overseas. She’s been a juror for the Clio Awards and served for six years on the Board of Directors of Outfest, the organization showcasing, nurturing and preserving LGBTQ+ film and media.
To see the trailer for Undercard, click here.
