Emmy winner Kerry Washington will produce and star in Netflix's surfing feature Rockaway, based on the memoir by Diane Cardwell.

Washington will play a New York City journalist who takes a customary assignment in the neighbourhood of Rockaway Beach, where she unexpectedly discovers the excellent power of surfing and finds herself drifting from the comfortable life towards a life of romance and self-discovery.

The film will be produced by Washington and Pilar Savone for Simpson Street along with Todd Shuster of Aevitas Entertainment and Liza Chasin of 3dot Productions, which has a first-look deal with Netflix. Nichelle Tramble Spellman of Truth Be Told fame adapts the memoir by Cardwell, who will executive produce the film with Margaret Chernin.

Washington has previously partnered with Netflix for the Emmy-nominated drama American Son and Ryan Murphy's musical comedy The Prom. She also stars opposite Charlize Theron and Michelle Yeoh in Paul Feig's upcoming Netflix feature The School for Good and Evil.