Jamati: Let me first say thank you Edward for allowing Jamati to do this interview with you. Can you let the readers know a little bit about yourself — Where you’re from, your occupation, things like that?

I was born in London. I came to the States to pursue my dream of becoming a filmmaker; a dream I have had since I was 5, and attended USC Film School, something I had wanted to do since I was 13. Currently, I am producing and editing a feature documentary called: Finding God in The City of Angels, about religion and cultural diversity in Los Angeles.

Jamati: Your resume is impressive. You attended Dulwich College, Brunel University, where you received your B.A. in English Literature and Film Theory, and the University of Southern California where you earned your MFA in Film Production. What was the emphasis on education like in your household?

I come from a West African household where education is probably valued above material wealth. Early on, my parents decided that they wanted to privately educate my brother and I. I didn’t appreciate it at the time, but now I am incredibly grateful.

Growing up, school was a pain and incredibly competitive, which I think helped me a lot. My parents were always on me to study and in the end it became second nature. I wasn’t a genius by any means, but I learned that if I didn’t work hard I would fail and if I applied myself I would do well.

I was struggling to breakthrough in the British Media industry and my mum always wanted me to get a masters’ degree so I killed two birds with one stone and the here I am.

Jamati: What made you come to the conclusion that you wanted to become a filmmaker and what kind of support did you receive from your family? Was there any opposition to your choice in career?

I saw E.T. with my mum when I was 5 and that was it. I was always a creative child, writing short stories and when my Dad got our first VHS camcorder…it was over. I would dress my kid brother up and make him star in my films. Somewhere there is a really bad VHS copy of my shot-for-shot remake of Godfather III. My mom has always been supportive of my dream, even though it is not a conventional career path for Ghanians. When I was a kid, my Dad was incredibly supportive, he helped me establish a videography company when I was 14, I would shoot weddings, christenings and funerals and he would help me edit them, I made good money too, 75 pounds when back then was a fortune. As I grew, I think he wanted me to do something more conventional like go to law school or become a journalist. I’m not sure how he feels now I have had some measure of success.

Jamati: What were some of your favorite films growing up?

I loved anything Spielberg directed. When I was really young my favorite films were the westerns I would watch with my Dad. The Sergio Leone Man with no name trilogy, The Magnificent Seven. I am a big Steve McQueen fan and love Bullitt. I think that is the coolest film ever made.

As I grew I became really influenced by Spike Lee and Oliver Stone. I remember watching Do the Right Thing and not being able to get it out of my head for a week, and Platoon was an elucidating experience, it showed me that film can educate as well as entertain.

Jamati: Your USC thesis film, Kwame won best narrative short at the 2009 Pan African Film Festival. Congrats. What’s the feeling like that you get when you see your work garner accolades?

It’s great! The festival circuit is interesting, I talk with a lot of my friends I graduated with and it’s like….ok I have this film…now what? There isn’t an exact science to applying or getting to festivals and you really have to ak yourself is that the measure of success of my film? I screened it privately in LA and received emails for over two weeks from people saying they want to work with me in the future or just to let me know they loved the film.

I was surprised and incredibly honored to win at the Pan African Film Festival as it is a big and prestigious event. It sounds like a cliché, but I am honored when anybody wants to watch Kwame; to have it recognized by industry professionals or to have someone stop you in the lobby after a screening and say I was moved by your film is wonderful and all I can really ask for. It means I did my job. I engaged and entertained people for the duration of the film.

We’ve just been accepted to the Cleveland International Film Festival and the Newport Beach Film Festival so it feels good that people want to screen the film and recognize it’s universal message.

Jamati: I understand that you are writing a feature version of Kwame. The short is about 25 minutes, and addresses not only friendship, but also how your characters deal with grief. You’re really dealing with the psychology of your main characters, Kwame and Roxanne. What is the process of writing like for you? Do you draw from different disciplines when you do your research or just delve into the work and let it come together in the moment?

Writing for me is getting it all out on the page and the working and re-working. I wouldn’t say I am prolific and I definitely have to work outside-in when writing. In short I knew that with such a limited amount of time, the best course of action would be to focus in on the two main characters, particularly Kwame. In the feature there are specific topics I want to address in addition to developing the story between the two main characters.

Jamati: Your lead character, Benjamin Ochieng, was really convincing in his role. How did you find him? What’s the casting process like for you?

I have a great casting agent, Meleika E’non at Gardener Casting. She saw hundreds of people for all the roles, in fact it was two months before I really had to do anything, she was incredibly organized and dedicated. She has gone above and beyond the call of duty as a casting agent. She knew she had found something when she saw Benjamin and couldn’t wait to show me his tape, and she was right.

He is an extraordinarily gifted and generous actor, who takes his craftt seriously. He and Jessica would never miss rehearsal and were sponges and brought more to their respective roles than I could have hoped for.

Good casting is important for any film. I watch the tapes and make my decisions on who to call back and then I sit in and see how they take direction and then I will have them read against other people to see if there I any chemistry. It is important to surround yourself with good people. I can remember I cast a role without really talking to anyone and my producer said that while the actor was talented, she wasn’t right for the film. As painful as it was to my pride at the time, she was right and I had to tell the actor the role was no longer theirs and start to recast, but it was the right thing to do and I am grateful to my producer for fighting me on that.

Jamati: Explain the process of raising finances also, because that is often an impediment for up-and-coming and even established filmmakers.

It’s tough…when you find the answer let me know. I am not from a rich family and am not near being wealthy myself. I was fortunate to get a couple of scholarships, grants and in-kind donations. The rest came from friends and family and loans. Honestly it’s about getting people excited about the project and encouraging collaboration. If you make people believe you are making an important cultural recording and get them excited about seeing the finished product then they will believe others will want to see it also and will invest in your film.

Jamati: How do you decide which shooting format to use? Do you have a favorite piece of equipment?

I choose my format depending on the subject matter. ‘Kwame’ was a raw, gritty neo-realist story so super 16mm suited the film, but I would shoot on 35mm or High-Def if I believe it suited the story.

Jamati: How important is it for you to assemble a talented team to collaborate with?

Incredibly important. I always say as a director it is my job to assemble a team of far more talented people than myself and then take credit for their hard work.
Filmmaking is a collaborative experience, I didn’t make this film on my own; hours, months, days, weeks and in some cases years were spent with people to make this film come to life. My producers: Channing Godfrey People and Michael Flores were amazing! They were with me throughout and supported and fought for my vision even in the face of some staunch bureaucracy and I can’t thank them enough for that. My director of photography, Jay Visit, and I storyboarded the entire movie and planned out every shot at each location and talked about the look of the film before we shot a single frame of film. My production designer, Justin Setchell, created the world of the film from scratch, the scenes in Ghana were a huge deal and pivotal to the film working and he seemed to pull it off effortlessly.

There are so many people I have to thank, I couldn’t have made this film with out their help and incredible talent.

Jamati: You not only direct, but also write and produce. However, you mentioned that directing is a lonely painful experience. Care to elaborate?

As much as filmmaking is about collaboration, you do reach a point where you are like Captain Ahab alone in the boat staring down the big fish. When you see five huge trucks roll up full of equipment and forty people all looking in your direction waiting to be told what to do, it dawns on you…oh man…I’m in charge now. Sometimes people don’t understand what you are trying to do and frustration and fatigue can set in, but you have to stick to your guns, you can only make the film you want to see. Don’t try and guess what other people might like or what another director would do.

Jamati: You are a first generation Ghanaian, born in London, and then relocated to the States. Both of your parents are Ghanaian. How has your perspective on life and film been influenced by this first-generation status?

My brother and I at times felt like we were in no man’s land, were we British or Ghanian? On the one hand you have people telling you to go back to your own country and then when visiting Ghana people referred to us as English. In the end we both came to the obvious conclusion that we were English of Ghanian ancestry. I am unequivocally English, specifically I am a Londoner, it is ingrained in me and has formed much of my personality, but my Ghanian heritage has made an indelible imprint on me as a man and I am proud of that.

It has given me a unique view on the state of post-colonial Africa and specifically Ghana. I see how people perceive the country and West Africa. I even understand where there beliefs and misconceptions come from, and I also know the truth, I feel I have a well rounded grasp on the situation. To a lot of people Africa seems like a complicated and tragic mystery, which it is not. It is continent that for centuries has been abused and its various countries have been under the control of different colonial powers and regimes. It has never had a chance at stability. We are all aware of the internal conflicts and the corruption that takes place, but many refuse to acknowledge the effect of outside agitators who look to profit from the confusion and corruption. This allows them to take many of the continents natural resources at discount prices.

I really think that having a link to Ghana and growing up outside of the country has allowed me to formulate this view.

Jamati: You mentioned to me that it is important for us (Africans, first-generationers) to have control over our stories. I would love for you to elaborate. Also, how do we go about this, particularly using a visual medium?

Too many times African stories that make it to the screen are written by people who have never even lived there or have a real connection to the continent, which inevitably leads to stereotyping. Also our stories are almost always told from a European perspective. I enjoyed The Constant Gardener, and Blood Diamond was very entertaining, but they use the tragedy of Africa as a back drop, never really looking at life in the specific countries they are set in.

A lot of times these films aren’t accurate, and ignore certain cultural differences that exist from region to region. If the tragedy is all you are interested in, then examine the causes; I have yet to see a film that really examines colonialism. There are so many facets to life in Africa, much like the problematic representation of African-Americans in mainstream cinema, Africa’s middle class is completely ignored, there are many stories that can be told, whether they be comedies or dramas that don’t involve civil war or genocide. Again, I am not asking for these to be ignored or subverted, but they are always simplified; “Evil Africans hacking each others limbs off.” Apply intelligence to them, investigate what is really going on, don’t just exploit the shock factor.

If an African or a person of African descent was involved in the creative process, they would naturally feel obligated to give a balanced and responsible portrayal of what happens.

Jamati: How do you compare the Cali and New York film scene?

I have never lived in New York, so I can’t really answer this question, but I would say that from my observation, New York had more of an independent/European sensibility, whilst LA is very much an industry town.

Jamati: Let the readers know what you’re currently working on and some of your other film credits and accolades. Also, let readers know where they can view your work.

Right now I am producing and editing a feature documentary on religion in Los Angeles and am editing another independent feature documentary.

In addition to that, I am writing scripts and visiting festivals with Kwame. We screen at the Cleveland International Film Festival at the end of March, the Newport Beach Film Festival at the end of April and the Cannes Short Film Corner in May. So I will keep applying to festivals and traveling the country with the film. People can keep up-to-date at the website, and join the FaceBook group Kwame.

Jamati: Thank you so much Edward. It has been a pleasure, and I wish you continued success. Take care.