Promise The Movie

D. Wilmos Paul is a graduate of UCLA’s film and television program (MFA). Wilmos is a five-time award winning filmmaker who hails from Liberia, West Africa. His short film, Mother’s Tongue was awarded at UCLA’s Director Spotlight Showcase and was featured at the Smithsonian Institute. Wilmos latest short film, Promise—a proof of concept—screening on American Airlines as part of their Inflight Entertainment platform.

Ron Pennywell is a Casting Director who started his casting career in Film and Television on the critically acclaimed and hugely popular Netflix series, "13 REASONS WHY." Other notable Projects include: ON MY BLOCK (Netflix), THE DIRT - a Motley Crue biopic (Netflix), RAVEN'S HOME (Disney Branded TV), UnReal (Lifetime), Z-O-M-B-I-E-S 2 (Disney Branded TV), LEO - animated feature (Netflix), ERIN & AARON (Nickelodeon), VAMPIRINA ReVamped (Disney Branded TV), HARD MILES - Starring Matthew Modine (Independent Feature).

A feature-length romantic dramedy, Promise is a heartfelt and gripping story about love, survival, and second chances. At its core, it’s about two people from different struggles who find themselves bound by an unexpected arrangement—a marriage of convenience that just might save them both.

Promise Harris, a determined single mother, is staring down the threat of deportation, while John Freeman Jr., a reformed ex-convict, is desperate to build a stable life after years of hardship. Their deal is simple: a marriage that offers each of them a shot at security. But as real emotions begin to blur the lines of their arrangement, they must confront the weight of their pasts, the system stacked against them, and the undeniable chemistry pulling them together.

Set against the backdrop of contemporary America, Promise explores the profound impact of immigration policies and systemic barriers on Black and immigrant communities—while delivering a story that’s as moving as it is full of humor, heart, and raw authenticity.