AKOSUA Adoma Owusu’s short film, Kwaku Ananse, featured in the short film section of the recently held Berlin International Film Festival. Akosua flew Africa’s flag at the festival that is believed to be one of the worlds biggest and most attended film festivals in the world. Born in Alexandra, Virginia to Ghanaian parents, Akosua studied arts and media at the University of Virginia. She later proceeded to the California Institute of the Arts, where she studied film and arts. An alumnus of the Berlinale Talent Campus, Akosua’s films (Kwaku Ananse, Split Ends, I Feel Wonderful) have won many awards at international festivals. Her Kwaku Ananse has just received the Best Short Film nomination at the yearly Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) scheduled for April 20 in Yenegoa, Bayelsa State. Shortly after Berlinale, Akosua shared her experiences, triumph as independent filmmaker, the short film genre and future of filmmaking in Africa with Moviedom.
Kwaku Ananse at Berlinale
It’s an honour to premiere my first fiction short, Kwaku Ananse, at the Berlin International Film Festival this year; it is a bit humbling. Five years ago, when I was still studying filmmaking and art in California, I participated in the Berlinale Talent Campus, which was, in fact, the very first film festival I attended. One of the screenings that caught my fancy was a short film made by an emerging Nigerian filmmaker, Julius Onah. His work gave me the inspiration that I will one day return to the Berlinale with a film of my own.
The motivation for the film
For Kwaku Ananse to emerge, there were a lot of motivations. All of them come from different points and people in my life. My 5th grade music teacher, Ms. Odejimi, cast me as ‘Kwaku Ananse’ in an elementary school play. And I carried that experience with me all the way through my graduate studies; so, when I received the Focus Features Africa First commission, I felt an urgent need to honour the profound effect that that had on my career, as well as preserve a piece of Ghanaian mythology. I also wanted to incorporate a semi-autobiographical thread. So, the film is dedicated to my late father, who instilled in me a love for African stories at a very young age. Honouring and adequately representing that love was a significant motivation for me.
It is one of my most successful works
My most successful work is Me Broni Ba, which means My White Baby. It is an observational documentary of hair and representations of beauty in Ghana. It was actually my student thesis film at CalArts. It ended up being invited to screen at over 80 film festivals around the world. Eventually, it picked up a distribution deal with The Cinema Guild, based in New York City, and is now used as an educational tool for programmes focusing on African studies. In truth, I was a bit frightened to cross over into the fiction realm, after my previous installation and documentary shorts had been so well received. Having Kwaku Ananse premiere at the Berlinale certainly helps relieve some of my fears.
Reception at the Berlinale
At the Berlinale, people were responding to how visually cinematic the film looks, to the casting choice of Koo Kimo — Ghana’s palm wine musician — as Kwaku Ananse, and also to how we managed to pull off a co-production involving three countries — Ghana, Mexico and the United States. In addition, the audience also commented on how refreshing it was for them to see a Ghanaian film adapt a story that is traditionally oral into a new cinematic language. We didn’t win a prize, but with all the positive feedbacks, and just being an official selection, it certainly felt like a winning experience.
Akosua and the Ghanaian film industry dubbed Gollywood
My experience with filmmaking is primarily based in Ghana and since I am American-born to Ghanaian parents, I definitely consider myself a member of the Ghollywood film industry. My films reflect my nostalgia for Ghana, as well as memories and the strong connection that I feel for it. With that said, my filmmaking style is heavily influenced by the training I received in the West. Some audiences do comment that my films aren’t conventional to Ghollywood. I share the same interests and ideals as Ghollywood filmmakers, and we all want to tell stories from our perspective and culture. For me, I’m a Ghanaian-American filmmaker, with my own unique perspective; and I want to share it, tell stories from my own experiences, and dig into the depths of our culture from that perspective, as well. I believe there are many people, who can relate to that. And, I believe it carves out my own place in Ghollywood that hasn’t been claimed; a situation where I can bring something different to the table.
Expect a Ghollywood movie from Akosua
Absolutely! I am developing my first feature length film, Black Sunshine, which is slowly, but surely coming into fruition. The Creative Capital Foundation in the US is supporting this film. It is also up for nomination by the Tribeca Film Institute, in New York, for the Heineken Affinity Award. Since the winner of this award is determined by a public vote, I’m hoping my friends and family, in both Ghana and Nigeria, will be able to vote for me (Voting actually closed in March). I hope to start production in Ghana later in the year for its release next year.
Independent filmmaking
One of my greatest challenges is finding the funding that is necessary for me to keep producing films; in fact, I self-financed Kwaku Ananse. It is actually more expensive to film in Ghana, nothing is free; and also since I’m not a local filmmaker, I was not able to get cost-reductions that local filmmakers get, which is very understandable, when you consider how the continent of Africa has been milked for its resources by foreigners. My films, however, are not yet commercially successful; so, it’s definitely a hard-fought challenge.
The future for Akosua
You know what? If I say I wouldn’t love to win an African Movie Academy Award (AMAA) in Nigeria or even an Oscar in America with one of my short films or feature films, I would be lying. That is my secret wish, but I suppose it’s no longer a secret, now! My greatest desire, though, is for my work to be embraced by both local Ghanaians and international audiences. Ultimately, that is my career’s ambition and I hope that in the process I can become a filmmaker, who can prolifically tell thought-provoking, authentic, African stories that will challenge what the Western audience would usually perceive a Ghollywood film to be.
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