Egbe Creative has confirmed the full principal cast for Blackheart, its second short film, and the production is moving toward its shoot date. Written by Raheem Ivey and based on the original concept by Nisheena Qunaa, Blackheart follows Missy Hart — a high-functioning professional whose carefully constructed life begins to come apart on the night she learns the man she trusted most has been lying to her.
Melissa VanPelt will play Missy Hart. VanPelt brings film and television credits including NBC's Bluff City Law and ABC's Women of the Movement, along with lead roles across multiple independent features. She is the anchor of the film — the role requires an actress capable of sustained interior performance, physical commitment through the film's collapse sequence, and the stillness to carry scenes that ask the camera to find what the character cannot say.
Ramses Jacque McKinstry joins the cast as Sean, the man at the center of the film's turning point. McKinstry comes with a strong festival short film record, with lead credits at SCAD, Lee University, and the Knoxville and 54th Street Film Festivals. His work across multiple independent short films reflects exactly the kind of character-driven craft Blackheart demands. Sean is warm, persuasive, and entirely convinced of his own good intentions — which is precisely what makes him dangerous.
Aubree Ashtynn Dumas will play Nia, Missy's closest friend and the film's moral center. Dumas carries lead credits in eight independent features. Nia is not a sidekick. She is a full person who loves Missy without managing her — and whose "I'm not nice. I'm kind. I've never lied about that" is among the most precise lines of self-definition in the script.
Mia Reese completes the principal cast as Ms. Rivers, Missy's boss. Reese brings television credits including a series regular role on Soul Tribe and guest and co-star appearances on Fatal Attraction, Snapped, and For My Man, as well as a BET+ lead credit in Her Baby. Ms. Rivers appears in a single scene — the conference room promotion — and her presence must convey institutional authority, genuine investment in Missy's success, and an absolute absence of awareness of what is happening beneath the surface.
Blackheart is a director's film. It lives in image, physical performance, and sound design. The script is sparse by design — the camera is asked to carry what the dialogue cannot. The production reflects Egbe Creative's ongoing commitment to serious dramatic work that gives the audience more than they arrived with.
Production dates will be announced as scheduling is confirmed.