birth of Oshun (2017) by Harmonia Rosales

Philia... Eros.... Agape... Storge.... Pragma....

In English, we only have one word for love. The ancient Greeks had at least seven. I can only imagine how “defining the relationship” went in 600 BC. Then again, in 2023, you get “I love you, but I’m not IN love with you”. Whatever the words, it’s clear that the course of true love never did run smooth.

Divine Intervention is an irreverent half-hour comedy about just that: the highs and lows of modern love, with a lot of help from the ancients.

Logline

After nearly causing an international incident, Aphrodite (the Greek goddess of love in her Kardashianesque modern form) is stripped of her powers and sent to Earth. Once there, she strikes a deal with the other gods: regain her omnipotence by helping super-single Brooklynite Delia find true love, or be banished from the Pantheon forever. Insecure meets The Good Place in this buddy comedy disguised as a rom-com.

Pitch Video

Mood Board

Accolades for Divine Intervention

Meet The Team

Zina Ellis - Writer/Creator

Zina Ellis is one of those kids who put way too much effort into her high school English class projects. An Illinois native (not Chicago, the other part), she was a nice Midwestern girl until she joined a morally bankrupt sketch comedy group while attending Yale University. In this group, she discovered a love of writing comedy and learned that she (probably) wouldn't go to hell for saying curse words. She also performed in a lot of student theatrical productions and spent a frankly embarrassing amount of time and energy on a cappella.

She now lives in New York, where she has worked on theatre projects ranging from a new play devised in a bar basement to a national tour of Cinderella, playing the Fairy Godmother. With the encouragement of a screenwriter friend from the aforementioned sketch group (plus the free time brought on by a global pandemic), she has branched out into long-form writing for TV and film. Her ultimate goal: become one part Audra McDonald and one part Issa Rae, and maybe also make a video game someday.

All of this is to say: Zina has a lot going on, and she is thrilled to be making Divine Intervention as her first self-produced on-camera project.

Here's to many more!

Dominique Nieves - Director

Dominique Nieves is a disabled Nuyorican filmmaker. As a first generation high school grad, she took the obvious route to becoming a creative-- by attending two Ivy Leagues before medical school. Medicine gave her the opportunity to saw open human skulls and support a diverse patient population in the Bronx. While a desire to help others and overachieve led her to work in NYC hospitals, an extended turn as the patient led to storytelling in her next act of life.

She was named a BAFTA Breakthrough Writer-Director for her Telly Award winning magic realism film, Our Lady Lupe, which was produced in association with PBS for their Primetime Broadcast Special, The Latino Experience. She used Our Lady Lupe to feature her favorite things: Latina leads, brujería, and a dog. As a BAFTA breakthrough she has been mentored by directors such as Emmy/BAFTA winner Julie Anne Robinson, and DGA Diversity Task Force Co-Chair Michael Goi, ASC.

Nieves entered the industry as an actress, but one-dimensional roles for Latinas led her to found Iron Glove Productions, highlighting underrepresented voices authentically. Her work has garnered recognition from CINEQUEST, HollyShorts Film Festival, and screened throughout the United States. Nieves has directed grant winning films supported by Art with Impact two years in a row, allowing her the opportunity to highlight mental health on screen. Both films won an invitation into the Olive Film Collection. She has since been inducted to the Chicana Director's Initiative, a network of professional Latina directors. She has been recognized for her work as a Telemundo Unstoppable Woman, and has been a semi-finalist for the Netflix-Nalip Women of Color Short Film Incubator, the inaugural McDonald’s Spotlight Dorado, and HBO’s Project Greenlight.

She continues to hone her craft with classes at Sundance Collab, Film Reframed, and Script Anatomy, and continues working as an actress with recent roles on CBS FBI: Most Wanted and ABC The Rookie: Feds.

As an ardent supporter of Latinx voices, Dominique created the Read Latinx Writers Initiative, pairing over 450 emerging Latinx writers with mentors at studios and networks. She is represented by 42.

Devin Southard - PRoducer

Devin Southard is an NYC-based multidisciplinary producer, writer, and director. She has worked extensively in production for film, television, radio, news, and advertising. She produced breaking news stories, including the Russo-Ukrainian war, for the Schwab Network (formerly TD Ameritrade Network), and helped Yahoo! Finance Live expand their live coverage and broaden their viewership by producing segments with diverse industry leaders beyond finance, including Ava DuVernay, Tom Colicchio, and Rep. Ayanna Pressley. She has also led creative production for a range of clients including BlackRock, non-profits, and small businesses.

She was selected for BRIC's Media Intimate Eye Cohort where she successfully adapted three plays from New York playwrights into short films which were screened in Brooklyn.

Devin is a graduate of Temple University's film program. She is a proud Baltimore native and happy to tell you the best place to get Maryland crab cakes (it's in Maryland, sorry New York).

Sarah Means - PRoducer

Sarah Means is a NYC-based performer and producer, whose credits include With Your Little Claws (The Tank), What Feels to My Heart (The Brick), and Valiant Dust (SXRVXVE Arts). She has previously worked as a PR/Digital Media specialist at 21C Media Group, collaborating with high-profile artists and institutions in the performing arts space to promote new projects and grow careers. She has also worked as a consultant for the Light Opera of New York and the Socially Relevant Film Festival.