Yes, you
read that right. Actress LisaRaye, AKA LisaRaye McCoy, has joined the ranks of
those calling the shots behind the camera, directing her first feature film, "Skinned," for the Atlanta-based production company Studio 11 Films.

More
accurately, McCoy co-directed the film with Avery O. Williams, who is a professor
at Morehouse College, and who also wrote the film with co-producer Clarice Kulah.

As hinted by
the title, the film deals with colorism within the black community, and centers
around a young woman named Jolie, "whose
insecurities about her skin color, misconception about beauty, and search for
romance causes her to bleach her skin beyond recognition in an attempt to
capture the heart of the perfect suitor, leads to the detriment of her health."

However the
story just doesn’t end there, and takes a more melodramatic turn when it "fast forwards to 15 years later, with Jolie
(played by jasmine Burke) now a…model with a wonderful husband, but discovers
she cannot conceive due to certain chemicals found in skin bleaching creams. To
make matters worse, she has skin cancer and has 6 months to live. Now, with the
assistance of a psychiatrist, Jolie must go on a journey into her past to face
her demons."

Like I said, it gets very melodramatic, but according to the production company, "Skinned" is a
very important project for LisaRaye, not only because she is entering up a new phase
in her career, but also because she is “determined
to speak on behalf of this epidemic with hopes to change lives on a global
scale. Young girls that are thinking about bleaching and those that follow the
trends of known celebrities who have bleached, she hopes to steer in a
different direction."

So here is the

first trailer for "Skinned." Share your opinions below: