Akosua Adoma Owusu's latest work, "Kwaku Ananse," is an intensely personal project for the filmmaker, drawing upon rich Ghanaian mythology, combining semi-autobiographical elements with the tale of Kwaku Ananse, a trickster popular in West African tales who appears as both spider and man. Ananse teaches us that there are two sides to everything and everyone. To explore this theme of doubleness, director Owusu combines the Kwaku Ananse fable with the story of a young outsider named Nan Kronhwea as she attends her estranged father's funeral. Nan's father led 2 separate lives with 2 wives and 2 families - one in Ghana, and the other in the United States. Nan's contradictory...
- 6/10/2015
- by Rissa Papillion
- ShadowAndAct
Dear Backers, I am Akosua Adoma Owusu, director of the short film Kwaku Ananse, and I have an exciting new project to share with you! The Rex Cinema was built by Ghana's first president, Kwame Nkrumah, who had a vision of creating a Ghanaian cinema industry that could be shared with the world. The Rex, located in Accra, is just one of many cinemas built throughout Ghana, and like so many of the others, it’s in trouble. Even though Ghana’s film industry has been incredibly successful, its early cinemas are on the verge of extinction, and could be sold for redevelopment. The Rex Cinema hasn’t been used for the arts for years and is also at risk of being sold. Here’s what I’m...
- 11/11/2013
- by Akosua Adoma Owusu
- ShadowAndAct
Dear Backers, I am Akosua Adoma Owusu, director of the short film Kwaku Ananse, and I have an exciting new project to share with you! The Rex Cinema was built by Ghana's first president, Kwame Nkrumah, who had a vision of creating a Ghanaian cinema industry that could be shared with the world. The Rex, located in Accra, is just one of many cinemas built throughout Ghana, and like so many of the others, it’s in trouble. Even though Ghana’s film industry has been incredibly successful, its early cinemas are on the verge of extinction, and could be sold for redevelopment. The Rex Cinema hasn’t been used for the arts for years and is also at risk of being sold. Here’s what I’m...
- 10/23/2013
- by Akosua Adoma Owusu
- ShadowAndAct
Dear Backers, I am Akosua Adoma Owusu, director of the short film Kwaku Ananse, and I have an exciting new project to share with you! The Rex Cinema was built by Ghana's first president, Kwame Nkrumah, who had a vision of creating a Ghanaian cinema industry that could be shared with the world. The Rex, located in Accra, is just one of many cinemas built throughout Ghana, and like so many of the others, it’s in trouble.Rex Cinema - Accra, Ghana (Today) Even though Ghana’s film industry has been incredibly successful, its early cinemas are on the verge of extinction, and could be sold for redevelopment. The Rex Cinema hasn’t been used for the arts for years and is also at risk of...
- 10/21/2013
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Dear Backers, I am Akosua Adoma Owusu, director of the short film Kwaku Ananse, and I have an exciting new project to share with you! The Rex Cinema was built by Ghana's first president, Kwame Nkrumah, who had a vision of creating a Ghanaian cinema industry that could be shared with the world. The Rex, located in Accra, is just one of many cinemas built throughout Ghana, and like so many of the others, it’s in trouble.Rex Cinema - Accra, Ghana (Today) Even though Ghana’s film industry has been incredibly successful, its early cinemas are on the verge of extinction, and could be sold for redevelopment. The Rex Cinema hasn’t been used for the arts for years and is also at risk of...
- 10/18/2013
- by Akosua Adoma Owusu
- ShadowAndAct
At the Toronto International Film Festival next month... all films we've profiled on this blog, making their North American and international premieres - a treat for those who'll be attending the celebrated festival this year. Full details via press release below: “To Repel Ghosts: Urban Tales From The African Continent”Showcases Five Short Films At Toronto International Film Festival Short Films: African Metropolis: Berea / South Africa / Director: Vincent Moloi African Metropolis: Homecoming / Kenya / Director: Jim Chuchu African Metropolis: To Repel Ghosts / Ivory Coast / Director: Philippe Lacôte Kwaku Ananse / Ghana / Director: Akosua Adoma Owusu Noye's Fludde...
- 8/22/2013
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Final batch of Tiff titles were announced today and among the international hodgepodge of items trickling we find Berlin (Golden Bear winner Child’s Pose), Cannes (The Selfish Giant – Europa Cinemas Label winner and Stranger by the Lake by Alain Guiraudie), Karlovy Vary (Crystal Globe winner Le Grand Cahier ) and Locarno (Corneliu Porumboiu’s When Evening Falls on Bucharest or Metabolism) Film Fest items added to the Toronto Int. Film Festival’s Contemporary World Cinema lineup. Alongside those that have already premiered elsewhere, the titles that have got our attention are world premiere offerings from the likes of award-winning Icelandic helmer Ragnar Bragason (Metalhead), Revanche‘s Götz Spielmann (October November – see pic above) and Mexican filmmaker Fernando Eimbcke’s Club Sandwich. Here’s the added titles to the section which already includes: Catherine Martin’s A Journey (Une Jeune Fille), Ingrid Veninger’s The Animal Project, Terry Miles’ Cinemanovels, Bruce Sweeney...
- 8/13/2013
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
It's exciting that we're starting to see our first glimpses at the films from the 5 filmmakers selected for the 2011 class of the Focus Features Africa First program. A few months ago, we got a first tease of Ghanaian American filmmaker Akosua Adoma Owusu's Kwaku Ananse. Today, a new, final trailer has been released, and is embedded below. Here's how the project is described: “Kwaku Ananse” is an intensely personal project which draws upon the rich mythology of Ghana. The short film combines semi-autobiographical elements with the tale of Kwaku Ananse, a trickster in West African stories who appears as both spider...
- 2/12/2013
- by Courtney
- ShadowAndAct
If you - like me - first became aware of African trickster spirit Ananse through Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys, here's your chance for something a little bit more authentic.Akosua Adoma Owusu's Ghanaian short film Kwaku Ananse comes supported by the Focus Features Africa First program, a program which supports the best and brightest African talents. Owusu certainly seems to qualify on that front, the story blending traditional folk tales with contemporary social reality and the camera work looking simply gorgeous. Here's how the creator describes it:"Kwaku Ananse" is an intensely personal project which draws upon the rich mythology of Ghana. The short film combines semi-autobiographical elements with the tale of Kwaku Ananse, a trickster in West African stories who appears as both spider and man....
- 12/5/2012
- Screen Anarchy
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