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Empire
of Dirt, a story about three generations of
Native Canadian women who find history repeating itself. At 15, Lena (Cara Gee) was pregnant and kicked to the curb by a
mother (Podemski), only 14 years her senior. Since then, she’s been
struggling to make ends meet in Toronto. But when her own 13-year-old
daughter (Shay
Eyre – daughter of Smoke Signals director
Chris Eyre) overdoses, and when her social worker
(Williams) gets involved, Lena decides to return home and face the past she’s tried
to escape. Can family provide a second chance?
Williams ability to humanize her characters
showing both their vulnerabilities as well as their strengths in honest
portrayals has endeared her to dedicated fans world wide. The actress, best known for her
role as Dr. Olivia Winters on
The Young and The Restless
has worked with actors
such as Danny Glover in the feature
film Poor Boy's Game, Tia and Tamara Mowry
in the Lifetime film Double Wedding, Canadian actor James Robert McGowan in the CBC night-time hit drama The Border and with Rob Lowe in
Prosecuting Casey
Anthony. A
tireless advocate for diverse Filmmakers, the two-time NAACP recipient
puts her notoriety to good use. Williams revolutionized the Canadian
entertainment industry by founding the ReelWorldFilm Festival, based in
Toronto Canada, now in its 13th year. ReelWorld's mandate, to create
opportunities for racially diverse artists, both in front of and behind the
camera. "I'm thrilled that Tonya accepted our offer to be in Empire of Dirt. She's a grounded and natural
actor whose participation helped us achieve the strength and realism we were
hoping for. I'm forever
grateful!" Jennifer Podemski – producer.
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