Afua's Diary

Last updated
Afua's Diary
Afua's Diary poster.jpg
Directed byBen Owusu
Written byBibi Owusu Shadbolt
Produced byBibi Owusu Shadbolt
StarringCleopatra Wood,
Fabio Abraham
Release date
  • 2015 (2015)
CountryUnited Kingdom

Afua's Diary is a 2015 romantic drama-comedy, written and produced by Bibi Owusu Shadbolt and directed by Ben Owusu. It stars Cleopatra Wood and Fabio Abraham and features Kwaku Sintim-Misa, Franciska Bijou Steiner and Zion Johnson in supporting roles. [1] [2]

Contents

Inspired by true life events, the movie deals with the subject of love, destiny and the effects of immigration on diaspora communities. [3] [4]

Synopsis

Afua Forson Brown is a Ghanaian Marketing Graduate going through trials and tribulations as her British student visa runs out. Her situation is made worse by the constant nagging by her boyfriend and the persistent demands from her alcoholic father in Ghana. Afua eventually falls in love with a dashing man but love only seems to complicate her situation. [3]

Cast

Reception

The film was first screened at the Odeon cinema in Greenwich, [6] [7] [8] [9] and generally received good reviews; Lisa Turner of Brand Weekly described it as a new era of British-African cinema and commended the great chemistry between Cleopatra Wood and Kwaku Sintim-Misa. [1] Guestlist's Noelle Asiedu praised the writing, directing and editing. [10] Descantdeb, writing for the British blacklist, however did not think the film was ready for the general public yet. According to her, there were issues with sound and the dialogues did not flow naturally from the lips of some of the actors. [11]

Accolades

After the first screening, Afua's Diary got immediate endorsement by the National Film Awards, [12] and was nominated for Screen Nation Film and Television Awards in February 2015. [13] The film has also been selected for inclusion in the Pan African film festival in Cannes. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atom Egoyan</span> Canadian filmmaker (born 1960)

Atom Egoyan is a Canadian filmmaker. Emerging in the 1980s as part of the Toronto New Wave, he made his career breakthrough with Exotica (1994), a film set in a strip club. Egoyan's most critically acclaimed film is the drama The Sweet Hereafter (1997), for which he received two Academy Award nominations. His biggest commercial success is the erotic thriller Chloe (2009).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shaji N. Karun</span> Indian film director and cinematographer

Shaji Neelakantan Karunakaran, better known as Shaji N. Karun, is an Indian film director and cinematographer. His debut film Piravi (1988) won the Caméra d'Or – Mention d'honneur at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival. He was the premiere chairman of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, the first academy for film and TV in India and was also the executive chairman of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) from 1998 to 2001. He is best known for his award-winning films Piravi (1988), Swaham (1994), Vanaprastham (1999) and Kutty Srank (2009). He won the National Award for Best Director for his debut film Piravi. He also won two Kerala State Film Awards for Best Director for his films Swaham and Vanaprastham. Currently, he is the Chairman of Kerala State Film Development Corporation.

Misa Shimizu is a Japanese actress. She made her screen debut by winning the heroine audition for 1987 film Shōnan Bōsōzoku. She starred in NHK's morning drama series Seishun Kazoku in 1989. She portrayed Keiko, the female protagonist, in Palme d'Or winning The Eel directed by Shohei Imamura. She also makes regular appearances in Masayuki Suo's films. She won the award for best actress at the 17th Hochi Film Award for Okoge, Sumo Do, Sumo Don't, Future Memories: Last Christmas.

<i>Cleopatra</i> (1934 film) 1934 film by Cecil B. DeMille

Cleopatra is a 1934 American epic film directed by Cecil B. DeMille and distributed by Paramount Pictures. A retelling of the story of Cleopatra VII of Egypt, the screenplay was written by Waldemar Young and Vincent Lawrence and was based on Bartlett Cormack's adaptation of historical material. Claudette Colbert stars as Cleopatra, Warren William as Julius Caesar, and Henry Wilcoxon as Mark Antony.

Kwaku Sintim-Misa aka "KSM" is a Ghanaian actor, director, satirist, talk show host, and author. He also has his shows on radio and television. He is the host of The KSM Show.

<i>Cry, the Beloved Country</i> (1951 film) 1951 British film by Zoltán Korda

Cry, the Beloved Country is a 1951 British drama film directed by Zoltán Korda and starring Sidney Poitier, Charles Carson and Canada Lee, in his last film role. The film is based on the novel of the same name written by Alan Paton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Akosua Adoma Owusu</span> Ghanaian-American filmmaker and producer (born 1984)

Akosua Adoma Owusu is a Ghanaian-American filmmaker and producer. Her films explore the colliding identities of black immigrants in America through multiple forms ranging from cinematic essays to experimental narratives to reconstructed Black popular media. Interpreting the notion of "double consciousness," coined by sociologist and civil rights activist W. E. B. Du Bois, Owusu aims to create a third cinematic space or consciousness. In her work, feminism, queerness, and African identities interact in African, white American, and black American cultural spaces.

The 2011 Ghana Movie Awards was the second edition of the ceremony to reward film practitioners in the Ghana Film Industry. The event was held at Accra International Conference center on 25 December 2011. Winners included Kimberly Elise, Majid Michel, Somewhere in Africa. Ties That Bind had 21 nominations and eventually won 9 awards to top the winners list. Olu Jacobs received the Lifetime Achievement Award.

<i>Kwaku Ananse</i> (film) 2013 Ghanaian film

Kwaku Ananse is a 2013 short film directed by Akosua Adoma Owusu. The short film combines semi-autobiographical elements with the tale of Kwaku Ananse, a trickster in West African and Caribbean stories who appears as both a spider and a man. The fable of Kwaku Ananse is combined with the story of a young outsider named Nyan Koronhwea, who attends her estranged father's funeral. At the funeral, she retreats to the woods in search of her father. The film starred legendary musician Koo Nimo and veteran actress Grace Omaboe.

Shin Su-won is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. Shin wrote and directed Passerby #3 (2010), Pluto (2013) and Madonna (2015). Her short film Circle Line won the Canal+ Prize for Best Short Film at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.

Robert Kwame "Bob J" Johnson was a famous Ghanaian cinematographer.

<i>Our Little Sister</i> 2015 Japanese film

Our Little Sister is a 2015 Japanese drama film written, directed and edited by Hirokazu Kore-eda and based on Akimi Yoshida's manga series Umimachi Diary. It stars Haruka Ayase, Masami Nagasawa, Kaho and Suzu Hirose. The film follows three sisters living in Kamakura, alongside their half sister. It was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.

Nii Kwate Owoo is a Ghanaian academic and filmmaker, described by Variety as "one of the first Ghanaians to lense in 35mm". His name has also appeared in film credits as Kwate Nee-Owoo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaouther Ben Hania</span> Tunisian film director

Kaouther Ben Hania also written Kaouther Ben Henia or Kaouther Benhenia is a Tunisian film director. Her 2017 film Beauty and the Dogs was selected as the Tunisian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards. Her 2020 film The Man Who Sold His Skin was nominated for the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards. Her 2024 film Four Daughters was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at 96th Academy Awards.

Checkmate is a Ghanaian crime drama film that was written and directed by Shirley Frimpong Manso for Sparrow Productions. It was produced by Ken Attoh, features stars like Nadia Buari, Ekow Blankson, Naa Ashorkor Mensah Doku and introduced Senanu Gbedawo. It was released in 2010.

<i>The Perfect Picture: Ten Years Later</i> Ghanaian Film

The Perfect Picture: 10 Years Later is a 2019 Ghanaian film produced and directed by Shirley Frimpong-Manso and Ken Attoh. It is a sequel to The Perfect Picture, also produced and written by Shirley Frimpong-Manso. At the 2020 Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards, Gloria Sarfo won the Best Supporting Actress in a Movie or TV Series for her role in the film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kwaku Danso-Boafo</span> Ghanaian academic, diplomat and politician (born 1949)

Alex Kwaku Danso-Boafo is a Ghanaian academic, diplomat and politician. He is a member of the National Democratic Congress. Between 1997 and January 2000, he served as Ghana's Ambassador to Cuba with concurrent accreditation to Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Nicaragua and Panama. He also served as the Minister of Health from January 2000 to February 2001 and Ghana's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Ireland from 2009 to 2014.

Kwesi Owusu is a Ghanaian writer, filmmaker, and creative entrepreneur. He is considered "one of Ghana’s leading filmmakers and communications specialists" and is also the author of five books. In the 1980s, he was a founding member of the influential pan-African performance group African Dawn. Since 2022, Owusu has hosted the African Dawn podcast, covering "untold stories" from Africa's cultural history as well as current trends in the arts world.

Nana Ansah Kwao IV also known by the name Kwaku Sintim Misa, is a Ghanaian Traditional Ruler and a television and radio broadcast journalist. He is the Chief of Akwamu Adumasa and the host of That's My Opinion on Joy FM.

References

  1. 1 2 Turner, Lisa (2014-12-08). "New Era for British African Cinema has arrived!!". Brandweekly.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2015-03-10. Retrieved 2015-05-09.
  2. "Afua's Diary". M.afrinolly.com. 2014-12-05. Archived from the original on 2015-05-18. Retrieved 2015-05-09.
  3. 1 2 "Afua's Diary brings African cinema to the mainstream | The Latest - Citizen Journalism for All". The-latest.com. Retrieved 2015-05-09.
  4. Kwakye, Hephzie (2014-01-22). "Afua's Diary: A Pixelex Aspects Love Story Opens In The UK This Summer". Modernghana.com. Retrieved 2015-05-09.
  5. "Afua's Diary". Kushfilms.com. Archived from the original on 2015-05-18. Retrieved 2015-05-09.
  6. Matthew Stafford. "Premiere Review: Afuas Diary". Nationalfilmawards.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-05-09.
  7. "AFUA'S DIARY Movie London Premiere Night!". Africandazzle.com. 2014-12-06. Archived from the original on 2015-05-18. Retrieved 2015-05-09.
  8. "Stars rock at Afua's Diary Premiere | Naija Living". Naijalivinguk.com. Retrieved 2015-05-09.
  9. "Afua's Diary Film Premiere, Greenwich, UK | The Latest - Citizen Journalism for All". The-latest.com. 2014-12-05. Retrieved 2015-05-09.
  10. "London Premiere Of Afua's Diary / Movie Review". Guestlist.net. 2014-12-09. Retrieved 2015-05-09.
  11. "@DescantDeb Reviews 'Afua's Diary' After Premiere Screening". Thebritishblacklist.com. 2015-05-04. Archived from the original on 2015-03-23. Retrieved 2015-05-09.
  12. Matthew Stafford. "Premiere Review: Afuas Diary". Nationalfilmawards.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-05-09.
  13. Rosser, Michael (2015-02-18). "Selma, Belle scoop Screen Nation awards | News | Screen". Screendaily.com. Retrieved 2015-05-09.
  14. Ellerson, Beti (2015-04-23). "AFRICAN WOMEN IN CINEMA BLOG: The International Pan African Film Festival at Cannes | Le Festival International du Film Panafricain à Cannes 2015". Africanwomenincinema.blogspot.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-05-09.