Janelle Monae’s starring role in “Antebellum” will now have to be witnessed as an on-demand release.

The dramatic thriller, written and directed by advocacy filmmakers Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz, will debut on all platforms Sept. 18; it will receive a theatrical release in select international markets.

Though the Grammy-nominated Monae has already received critical acclaim in the film world for her roles in “Hidden Figures” and “Moonlight,” the drama marks her first leading film portrayal (she’s also starring in the current season of “Homecoming” on Amazon Prime).

Janelle Monae (center) and Gabourey Sidibe (right) in ANTEBELLUM.

Credit: Matt Kennedy

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Credit: Matt Kennedy

In “Antebellum,” Monae plays an author who becomes trapped in a “horrifying reality that forces her to confront the past, present and future.” Bush and Renz said the current “realities of systemic racism in our country” spurred them to release the film on as broad a platform as possible.

The movie also stars Eric Lange, Jena Malone, Jack Huston, Kiersey Clemons and Gabourey Sidibe.

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Sergio Suárez at work in his studio. (Walter Bankson/Courtesy of Johnson Lowe Gallery)

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