Taylor Polidore Williams Says Indie Film ‘HPV: Her…
Some movie titles are designed to spark curiosity, others are supposed to challenge consolation zones. H.P.V. (Her Pretty Vagina) is able to do each.
Source: Variety / Getty
Set to premiere at the 2026 American Black Film Festival, the unbiased quick movie stars cinema sizzler Taylor Polidore Williams and follows Kaleigh, a younger Black girl navigating an HPV diagnosis, undiagnosed endometriosis, and the irritating realities of systemic obstacles within healthcare.
Written, directed, and govt produced by Kiah Clingman, the project tackles conversations many women experience privately however not often see mirrored on display screen.
Source: Veronica Bouza / H.P.V. – Her Pretty Vagina
During an exclusive dialog with BOSSIP’s very personal Lauryn Bass, Taylor shared why this project felt deeply private and why she hopes the movie shifts conversations round pain, stigma, and Black women’s health.
More Than A Film, A Needed Conversation
As H.P.V. prepares to make its debut, Taylor said she feels pleasure however also anticipation about what audiences will take away.
Source: Veronica Bouza / H.P.V. – Her Pretty Vagina
“I’m so excited, and I am so proud of Kiah and the team that it took to make this film,” she said. “I’m also very eager to get the conversation going.”
Taylor acknowledged that listening to the title alone instantly creates assumptions.
“When you hear it, you instantly have a connotation of something, but I know 100 percent without a doubt that we have created a very beautiful and thought provoking, conversation provoking film, both cinematically and with the topic.”
That willingness to start conversations is strictly what initially pulled her into the function. The materials itself struck an emotional chord because of her mom’s health journey.
“My mom dealt with endometriosis for the majority of my life,” she explained. “She was very adamant about your period should not hurt you. You should not be feeling these things. If this happens, we go to the doctor.”
Taylor said she watched firsthand as her mom navigated challenges that many women often have dismissed.
“So many women are gaslit into believing that their pain is, ‘Oh, it’s just the time of the month. Oh, she’s being dramatic.’”
She also pointed to the silence and disgrace surrounding HPV and sexual health conversations.
“It’s something that a lot of people deal with in shame because of the stigma around STIs and STDs,” she said. “But if you have a conversation with friends, people start saying, ‘Oh, I dealt with that freshman year of college,’ or ‘I had a scare with this when I was 22 or 23.’”
For Taylor, that revealed a a lot bigger issue.
“There’s a conversation that needs to be had among people, particularly young Black people.”
Why The Title Never Shocked Her
Despite the daring title, Taylor admitted she was shocked to be taught others seen it as controversial.
Source: Veronica Bouza / H.P.V. – Her Pretty Vagina
“The title never even phased me,” she said. “I grew up with strong, feminine, divine Black women in my family. We’ve never shied away from our bodies nor our femininity.”
For her, the phrase itself merely represented anatomy.
“What is a vagina? It’s like an arm, it’s like a foot, it’s like a head. These are parts of the body.”
Still, she understood that audiences could method the title in a different way.
“This is either going to go completely right or it’s going to go completely wrong,” she joked. “But I think if you watch the movie, then it will start the necessary conversation.”
When Art Meets Real Life
Portraying Kaleigh turned even more significant after Taylor discovered herself unexpectedly studying from the story in her personal life.
Source: Veronica Bouza / H.P.V. – Her Pretty Vagina
She revealed that before filming, she had never heard of a colposcopy process.
“I’m learning about it and bringing it up to friends, and they’re like, ‘Oh, I had to have one of those. I didn’t tell anybody because I was so scared.’”
Then artwork and actuality collided.
“A year later I had my own scare and had to go have one.”
Taylor said her experience finally ended positively and highlighted the significance of getting supportive healthcare professionals.
“I have a phenomenal Black woman OBGYN here in Atlanta,” she said with a smile.
Taylor shared that she skilled no further problems, however the second bolstered just how important schooling and advocacy may be.
Storytelling With Purpose
While audiences know Taylor from tasks including Beauty in Black and Reasonable Doubt, she said tasks rooted in real points fulfill a different goal.
“It brings a sense of fulfillment that I can’t even describe,” she said. “ I knew it was a necessary conversation, and it felt like a sense of duty to have the honor to tell this story.”
For Taylor, success wouldn’t merely be viewers having fun with the movie. It can be somebody feeling acknowledged.
“I know for a fact when someone sees this and they’re dealing with this, they are going to feel, even if it’s just for a moment, ‘I feel seen.’”
As H.P.V. makes its strategy to ABFF, the project stands as a reminder that some of the most impactful tales are usually not the ones that merely entertain, however the ones courageous sufficient to start conversations lengthy overdue.
Taylor Polidore Williams Says Her Pretty Vagina Is Bigger Than Entertainment: 'I Knew It Was A Necessary Conversation'
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