Nefertite Nguvu
The
“In the Morning” Interview
with
Kam Williams
In
Harmony with Nefertite!
Nefertite
Nguvu is a graduate of New York City's School for the Visual
Arts, where she majored in film. Here, she talks about her
feature-length writing and directorial debut, In the Morning, an
ensemble drama co-starring Emayatzy Corinealdi, Jacky Ido and De'Adre
Aziza.
The
film will be showing in Philadelphia on Friday, May 26th at 7 pm at
the Leonard Pearlstein Gallery, located at 3401 Filbert Street.
Following
the screening, there will be a conversation between Nefertite and
multimedia visual artist Sosena Solomon and questions from the
audience.
To
find out about future screenings of In the Morning elsewhere around
the country, visit: http://inthemorning-thefilm.com/
Kam
Williams: Hi
Nefertite, thanks for the interview.
Nefertite
Nguvu:
It’s
my pleasure, Kam. Thank you for taking the time.
KW:
What inspired you to write In the Morning?
NN:
I was
very inspired by the women in my life. I wanted to make a film that
reflected and honored the women I know. There are so many overlooked
narratives when it comes to black women. In
The Morning
is
my love letter to women: beautiful, smart, elegant, vulnerable,
sensitive, complex black women who don’t often get to see
themselves in movies.
KW:
How
would describe the film in 25 words or less?
NN:
Our
film is
about something we’ve all wrestled with, this terrible and
beautiful animal: love.
It explores romantic love, but it’s ultimately about the power of
self-love.
KW:
How did
you go about assembling your cast?
NN:
Our
cast came together pretty organically. We were working with a small
budget, so there was no casting director. I reached out to members of
my filmmaking community for recommendations: Emayatzy Corinealdi,
JoNell Kennedy and Jacky Ido came to me that way. I also chose to
work with some artists I’ve known for awhile whose work I loved,
like De’Adre Aziza, Kim Hill, Numa Perrier and C.J. Lindsey. I feel
very lucky to have this lovely and talented ensemble cast.
KW:
I
interviewed Emayatzy for Roots. She was nominated for an NAACP Image
Award this year for her performance in the miniseries. Why did you
pick her to play Cadence in your film?
NN:
It’s
great to see her continue to shine. I chose her for many reasons.
Emayatzy
brings a lot to our film. She is quite beautiful and brings a
delicate balance of hubris and humanity that draws us into the
complex emotional world of her character, Cadence. She’s
wonderful!
KW:
What
message do you want people to take away from the film?
NN:
In
The Morning explores the lives of beautiful but imperfect people
navigating their way through life and love challenges, without
placing judgments on anyone. We are all human and therefore all
flawed. Our message is really about deepening connection, intimacy
and empathy. More than anything else, I want our audience to see true
and deep reflections of themselves.
KW:
You
wrote, directed and produced In the Morning. What was it like having
to juggle all those responsibilities?
NN:
As
a first time feature filmmaker, it was daunting. But I was
incredibly determined to get this film made. So, I threw myself
wholeheartedly into each of these responsibilities and worked very
hard. It was not easy to manage it all. Luckily, I had a lot of
support. I’m so proud of the film we made.
KW:
How
long did it take to make the movie?
NN:
Though
it’s
been a five-year journey from script to screen and now to wider
distribution, we shot the film in Brooklyn in just eight days.
KW:
What's
your next project?
NN:
I’ve
got two short narrative projects I’m working on now that I’m very
excited about. One I’m in post-production on entitled, “Myself
When I am Real,” and another I’ll be shooting this summer in
collaboration with AT&T as part of their "Hello Lab"
program.
KW:
What's
your dream project?
NN:
I’d
love to adapt one of James Baldwin’s novels. That would be a dream
project, for sure.
KW:
AALBC.com
founder Troy Johnson asks: What was the last book you read?
NN:
The
last book I read was filmmaker Kathleen Collins’ recently published
book of short stories entitled, “Whatever Happened To Interracial
Love.”
KW:
The music maven Heather Covington question: What was the last song
you listened to?
NN:
Frank
Ocean’s cover of "At Your Best." I’m kind of obsessed
with it!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTCwpNQ5_7A
KW:
Ling-Ju Yen asks: What
is your earliest childhood memory?
NN:
My
earliest childhood memory is probably walking while holding the hands
of my father and my sister.
KW:
Was
there a meaningful spiritual component to your childhood?
NN:
Yes,
my mother was a very spiritual person and she made that a very
grounding component of my upbringing.
KW:
Who
loved you unconditionally during your formative years?
NN:
I
am very fortunate in that I felt loved unconditionally by my entire
family.
KW:
What is your favorite dish to cook?
NN:
I don’t
often have a lot of time to cook, usually a quick tofu and veggie
stir-fry is my go to!
KW:
Sherry
Gillam would like to know what is the most important life lesson
you've learned so far?
NN:
To
stay the course.
KW:
When
you look in the mirror, what do you see?
NN:
I see
a lot of the faces of the women in my family and my father’s eyes.
KW:
If you
could have one wish instantly granted, what would that be for?
NN:
I’d
wish for a just world.
KW:
Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone
would?
NN:
Not
that I can think of… other than, work-wise, I’d love for someone
to ask if they could finance my dream project!
KW:
Harriet Pakula-Teweles asks: With so many classic films being redone,
is there a remake you'd like to direct?
NN:
There
are so many these days, which I think has been a great way to
introduce some films to a new audience. It’s daunting to think
about taking on a classic, but one I’ve always loved that I think
would be interesting to redo is Elevator To The Gallows.
KW:
Judyth
Piazza asks: What key quality do you believe all successful people
share?
NN:
The
key quality that stands out to me for many is grit.
KW:
Finally,
what’s in your wallet?
NN:
Ha!
The usual necessities, and a ton of receipts from a shoot this past
weekend.
KW:
Thanks
again for the time, Nefertite, and best of luck with all your
endeavors.
NN:
Thanks
so much, Kam.
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