When we think of silent film, it is easy to point out the works of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Erich Von Stroheim, and DW Griffith. Their collected work delighted audiences around the country and helped shape the story and spirit of America  From a white male point of view that is. 

In this episode we speak with producer, Bret Wood on his two collections: Pioneers in African-American Cinema, and Pioneers: First Women Filmmakers. Each collection contains over 20 hours of rare movies, film clips, interviews, and commentary about the diverse people who chronicled the history and creative spirit of Americans.

The AAFCA Podcast

Pioneers in African-American and Women Cinema

“The Burial of Kojo,” rapper Blitz the Amabassor’s debut film that he wrote and directed is nothing less than stunning. This film is an intricate dance of fantasy and reality that exposes you to Ghana in a way few films have ever attempted. Told through the narrator, an older version of Kojo’s daughter, Esi (Ama K. Abebrese) the story is shared with a child-like lens that views the world with wonder and innocence. She introduces the audience to her father Kojo (Joseph Otsiman), who on the surface is content in his simple life, but things soon change when he is visited by his older brother Kwabena (Kobina Amissah-Sam) and Kojo takes his family to life he left in Accra. After her father goes missing, Esi (Cynthia Dankwa) embarks on a physical and spiritual journey to find him.

What Blitz the Ambassador does with this story, in my opinion is nothing short of acrobatic. Without pulling on the typical, invoked empathy so many films regarding Africa and its people tend to muster, he subtly weaves the current climate of Ghana, as he sees it eloquently into this fanciful family story. Using Esi as a prism, Blitz is able to invoke a spectrum of color and texture that transcends beyond the common narrative and evokes a duality of reality and spirituality to tell this tale of a daughters love for her lost father.

On this episode we speak with person responsible for this film, Samuel Blitz Bazawule, A.K.A. Blitz the Ambassador about his groundbreaking film and the state of the African film industry.

The Burial of Kojo with Blitz the Ambassador

Imagine if you will, you are watching kids shows on television with your children and after a while you notice something is missing. You don’t see a lot of girls in kids programming. So, you start counting, and quickly realize kids programming lacks representation. You continue your research only to discover this omission of inclusion is consistent across the spectrum in both television and film. Well that’s exactly what Academy Award-winning actress Geena Davis did. After discovering this lack of representation in kids programming, she decided to do something about it and launched the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media in 2004. 

This episode of the AAFCA podcast we speak with Madeline Di Nonno, CEO of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media And leads the Institute’s strategic direction. Madeline has over 30 years of experience in media marketing and business development in non-profit, entertainment, digital media, and consumer goods. She has worked for media companies including, Anchor Bay Entertainment, Starz Media, Nielson EDI, the Hallmark Channel, Universal Studios Home Video, and ABC Television to name a few. 

Madeline was the keynote speaker at AAFCA’s Celebrate Women in Media event at the Auburn Avenue Research Library in Atlanta, Georgia. The Geena Benchmark Report is available to download on the institute’s website (http://seejane.org).

Madeline Di Nonno and the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media

When it comes to who’s who in Hollywood, there is one producer that comes to mind – Debra Martin Chase. Debra is one of the most successful producers in the business with a filmography of box office wins for over 20 years. Films like “Courage Under Fire”, “Just Wright”, and “The Princess Diaries along with TV film phenoms like “The Cheetah Girl” franchise are just a few of her projects. She talks to me about her work and her latest film, "Harriet."

Debra Martin Chase

Music, for most of us, it’s an integral part of our lives. Whether singing along to your favorite jams in your car; or comforting you in times of need. And for film, it’s no different. Film scoring is an integral part of the cinematic process—it’s the undertone that sets the mood and energy for both film and television. To get a good understanding of what goes into film scoring I only had to reach out to one person, the amazing Kathryn Bostic.

The award-winning composer and songwriter lends her talents to a number of films, television shows and theatrical productions over the years including the documentary Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am. Where she not only composed the score, but produced the original song – High Above the Water

I spoke with Kathryn recently via skype to understand her process, her inspirations, and her recent projects. 

Clemency directed by Chinonye Chukwu and stars Afrie Woodard and Aldis Hodges is currently in theaters so check your local listings, and you can see Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am on Amazon Prime Video.