In the beginning of WWII, with Britain becoming desperate, Churchill orders his new spy agency – “SOE” – to recruit and train women as spies. Their daunting mission: conduct sabotage and build a resistance. SOE’s “Spymistress,” Vera Atkins (Stana Katic) recruits two unusual candidates: Virginia Hall (Sarah Megan Thomas), an ambitious American with a wooden leg, and Noor Inayat Khan (Radhika Apte), a Muslim pacifist. Together, these women help to undermine the Nazi regime in France, leaving an unmistakable legacy in their wake. Inspired by true stories, this original screenplay draws on SOE, OSS (pre-cursor to CIA), and CIA files, as well as interviews with living relatives.
FOLCS was pleased to offer an advance screening of A Call to Spy, ahead of a Conversation on the film with actress, writer, and producer, Sarah Megan Thomas, and director, Lydia Dean Pilcher on Thursday, September 24, 2020.
Watch A Call to Spy: Advance Screening and Conversation here.
Sarah Megan Thomas
Actress; Producer; Writer
Sarah Megan Thomas is an actress, producer, and writer. For her latest film, A Call to Spy, Sarah wrote the original screenplay, plays Virginia Hall, and produced the film.
Sarah’s previous feature was the groundbreaking Equity, in which she created the concept, co-wrote the story, produced, and co-starred. Equity is the 1st female driven Wall Street thriller. The film premiered in Dramatic Competition at the Sundance Film Festival, where it sold to Sony Pictures Classics. The New York Times made Equity a Critic’s Pick when it was released theatrically nationwide.
The Hollywood Reporter reviewed Sarah’s performance as “subtle, but gutsy.” Sarah was honored with a Women’s Image Network Award, The Creative Coalition Spotlight Award, and the Voice of A Woman Award. Sarah starred in the romance-drama Backwards opposite James Van Der Beek, and has appeared in various television shows (Law and Order, SVU). She starred in numerous Off-Broadway productions. A graduate of Williams College, Sarah trained at Drama Studio London. She resides in NYC with her husband and son.
Lydia Dean Pilcher
Director; Producer
Lydia Dean Pilcher began her career directing documentaries. She recently co-directed the feature film, Radium Girls, which premiered at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival. A Call to Spy is her solo directing debut. Lydia is an Academy Award nominated (Cutie and the Boxer) and two-time Emmy-winning producer. She has worked with auteur directors including Wes Anderson, Gina Prince Bythewood, and eleven films in a long-standing collaboration with internationally acclaimed director, Mira Nair. Pilcher has produced films such as The Queen of Katwe (starring Lupita Nyong’o for Walt Disney), The Reluctant Fundamentalist, The Lunchbox (directed by Ritesh Batra), and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.