Women in film: A Q&A with documentary maker Adesola Akerele

 Adesola (known by her pseudonym Adessy) is a 21-year-old final year literature student here at Warwick University. She has recently completed her new documentary Brotherhood.

Can you tell me a little bit about your documentary? What is the focus and what ideas does it address?

Brotherhood is a documentary that aims start a conversation that addresses the current narrative of the young black man. It features an organisation called the Amos Bursary (founded by Baroness Valorie Amos) which nurtures young black men and pushes them to excel as leaders. The Bursary has shaped outstanding black boys who have become pioneers in their generation. From those who have spoken in the House of Lords, to others who have developed apps, or even those who have raised money to attend Harvard University. This documentary gives a voice to boys who, up until this point, have not been able to share their own narratives.

It sounds like we need more documentaries like this! What kind of issues do you feel are facing the black community right now and what should society be doing to help?

I think one of the main issues that young black people face is the way that we are perceived by the rest of society. Imagine having to function in a society that is systematically designed to work against you. As a black person, you have to work to push past the institutionalised barriers that are placed upon you but also forced to deal with the struggles of “adulting” like everyone else. The media doesn’t help. It does everything it can to depict young black people as criminals, aggressive, and lazy.

People have their preconceived ideas of what they think black people are, and it’s a real struggle to try and change these beliefs. The media does so much to demonise the black community, that it disregards that fact that so many of us are high achievers. Like, if I told you that, one of my closest friends was invited to give a speech about her life in the House of Lords, or my other friend was personally scouted to be an intern for the Commonwealth’s Global Health sector, would you be surprised that they were black?

However, I can’t disregard the backgrounds that many young black people have been subject to growing up. The circumstances that many face are definitely not easy and they have to push past class barriers to even get access the opportunities that should be available for everyone. To be honest, one of the biggest struggles that we face is the pressure of trying to be ‘the change’. We are constantly faced with the burden of trying to make the world better for those coming behind us, but sometimes confronting the reality of the problems we face can be extremely disheartening.

If society wants to help make a change, they need to first listen to the things that young black people say instead of accepting a preconceived narrative. They then need to be prepared to unlearn the implicit prejudices that they have and recognise that explicit opportunities need to be put in place in order to provide a level playing field for minorities in this country.

Was making a change what motivated you towards the project? And how did you go about making the documentary to begin with?

There were a couple of reasons why I decided to make the documentary. The first was that I am really passionate about going into the TV industry and I know I that needed experience in making my own content. So I set a goal to make a documentary before I graduate from Warwick. However, I had no idea on how to start or what to even make the documentary about. I came up with loads of ideas (most of them were rubbish, to be honest).

However, one day when I was talking to some of my friends who were a part of the Amos Bursary, I realised how different they were to what people expected from ‘black boys’. And I thought that it would be a great story to tell. So that’s how I came up with the concept of Brotherhood. Making the documentary was a whole different ballgame. I had no idea how to film or compose it. Most of my filming and editing knowledge came from making YouTube vlogs. But I definitely knew that I wasn’t a filmmaker. So I posted on twitter asking for filmmakers who wanted to collaborate on a project and the response was mad. Eventually, I ended up working with friends who I made on the internet and the rest is history.

It sounds like it was a real challenge! Were there any really tense moments where you worried you weren’t going to be able to make it? What kind of things went wrong?

So many things went wrong! My head was always spinning. I think the biggest problem was probably balancing my degree with this documentary. I was doing a lot of the filming myself, which required me to travel down to London around three times a week, whilst still doing my seminar work and job applications. The initial release date for the doc was the 4th of December, but on the 26th November my laptop broke and I lost ALL the edited footage – unfortunately I didn’t back up my files and I lost all my hard work. However, after a lot of tears, I had to suck it up and start editing all over again. Let’s just say that my essay wasn’t the only thing that stressed me out during the Christmas holidays!

I take it that your first advice to anyone making a movie would be to back up their data? Is there any other advice you’d give people hoping to make a movie?

Yes definitely back up your files! Come up with a good story and make a plan of what your aims are and why you want to make it. Then sketch out a storyline and start shooting. The majority of what you learn will be based on trial and error. You have to find out what works for you and run with it.

The final question: what plans have you got for the future – any more projects/dreams to make true on the horizon?

I am passionate about storytelling, so the prospects of another documentary might not be too far off. One of my biggest aspirations is to be the female Reggie Yates; I want to be known for presenting as well as the content that I create. So I’m working hard on developing myself and building my foundations whilst I’m still at uni. To be honest the next step is to find a job that will provide a space for me to grow as a creative but also give me the confidence to step out of my comfort zone. I think the hardest thing that I am currently facing is trusting in God and knowing that my hard work will eventually pay off.

You can check out Adessy’s website here for more of her work!