Musings

‘Adventures’ Selected for IFP’s 2019 Episodic Lab

MOOOOOOMMMMM SQUAAAAAD!!!

I’m mad excited. Can you tell? Some of you guys know that I am the co-founder cum co-creator of a li’l blog that could called Adventures From the Bedrooms of African Women. This year marks our 10th anniversary of bringing the world a peek into the lives of women of African descent on the Continent and in the Diaspora. Nana Darkoa and I have always had a goals of bringing Adventures to the screen in some way, but as neophytes in the field we’ve been reluctant to enter the space without the proper support.

Fortunately, someone one else -someone with the knowledge and talent – shared our vision and approached us about submitting a script for IFPs episodic lab. Nosarieme Garrick is an independent film maker, story teller and visual mastermind who lead us to this latest coup.

I have always had ambitions of writing scripts and wondered for years if I’d ever be good at it. So you can imagine my surprise (and delight!) when my first script was selected for such a prestigious program! It was a truly collaborative effort and because Nana, Nosa’s and my roles were clearly defined, we worked like a well lubricated machine. We literally knocked it out in a matter of weeks and submitted on the day of the deadline in April.

I roared when I got the email notifying us that we were one of 10 projects selected out of 400. You can’t conceive of the confidence boost. You think you can, but I promise you, YOU CANNOT.

This week I’m in New York, getting lost within its musty, filthy transit system and thoroughly enjoying myself.

The world of film – on this side of the table – is entirely new to me. I’ve been in front of the camera, but never been in charge of developing dialogue, setting scenes, production and all the other plenty-plenty phrases these people throw out with such ease. Being in room with other creatives that are so accomplished is a thrill… But you know none of this comes without drama, right? I’ll tell you all about that tomorrow.

In the meantime, check out the press release from IFP!  You may not have heard of the organization, but you’ve heard of the films they’ve supported, which include Moonlight and Sorry to Bother You.
Film making is a long and arduous process, so watch this space to find out when you can press play and fall into Adventures From the Bedrooms of African Women! …on screen!

Gotta dash! It’s time for the next session!