Leila Afua Djansi (born 1981) is an American and Ghanaian filmmaker who started her film career in the Ghana film industry.
Early life
Leila Djansi was born Leila Afua Djansi in 1981.
[Nelmes, Jill; Selbo, Jule]
''Women Screenwriters: An International Guide''
Springer (2015), p. 20, . Retrieved 12 January 2019. Her father was a pilot and her mother a Senior Nursing Officer. Djansi grew up in India and Ghana. Although acting and writing were her hobbies, her career ambition was to become a
gynecologist
Gynaecology or gynecology (see spelling differences) is the area of medicine that involves the treatment of women's diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, forming the combined ...
, a plan that later changed when she developed an interest in
forensics. Ready to delve into the field of
criminology, another career change occurred when she met the Ghanaian actor Sam Odoi, who convinced her to write a script for him. She was 19 years old when her script ''
Babina'' was made into a movie by Producer Akwetey Kanyi.
Education
Djansi attended the Kabore Primary and JSS,
Mawuli School for primary, junior and secondary education respectively all located in
Ho, in the
Volta Region
Volta Region (or Volta) is one of Ghana's sixteen administrative regions, with Ho designated as its capital. It is located west of Republic of Togo and to the east of Lake Volta. Divided into 25 administrative districts, the region is multi- ...
of Ghana.
She began her film education at the
National Film and Television School, but left Ghana for the United States to continue her Film and Television Degree at
Savannah College of Art and Design
Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) is a private nonprofit art school with locations in Savannah, Georgia; Atlanta, Georgia; and Lacoste, France.
Founded in 1978 to provide degrees in programs not yet offered in the southeast of the Uni ...
on an artistic Honors Scholarship.
Career
President of the
Ghana Library Board Readers club for three years, her sojourn in the industry began when she was a runner-up in a regional beauty pageant in 1998.
She took a job with Socrates Safo's Movie Africa Productions, where she worked as a Writer/Line Producer. While with the company, she wrote Ghana's first Gay/Lesbian rights screenplay, ''The Sisterhood'', a film that included the late Ghanaian screen actress
Suzzy Williams. Djansi worked with the state-owned Gama Film Company, where she wrote and produced ''Legacy of love''.
In the United States, she established Turning Point Pictures, an independent production company geared towards social issue films.
Awards and recognition
Djansi's first film was awarded a 2009 worldFest Platinum Award; the film, ''Grass Between My Lips'', is a story of female circumcision and early marriage, set in a northern Ghana village.
In 2010, her debut feature, ''I Sing of a Well'' was nominated for 11
African Movie Academy Awards. The film won 3 awards: Best Sound, Best Costume and the Jury Special Award for Over-All Best Film.
In 2011, Djansi was presented with the BAFTA/LA Pan African Film Festival Choice Award for the film ''I Sing of a Well''.
Djansi's 2011 film ''Sinking Sands'' received 10
African Movie Academy Award nominations, with
Ama K Abebrese winning the Best Actress Award and Djansi earning the Best Original Screenplay Award. At the first
Ghana Movie Awards
''Ghana Movie Awards'' is an annual film award to recognise excellence in the Ghanaian film industry. The first edition was held on 25 December 2010 at the Accra International Conference Center. It’s only in 2017 that the ceremony wasn’t held ...
in 2011, Djansi's ''Sinking Sands'' received awards for "Best Art Direction", "Best Costume", "Best West African Film" and "Best Picture". ''Sinking Sands'' was nominated in 14 categories.
Djansi's third directorial effort ''
Ties That Bind'' received a
Black Reel Award
The Black Reel Awards, or BRAs, is an annual American awards ceremony hosted by the Foundation for the Augmentation of African-Americans in Film (FAAAF) to recognize excellence of African Americans, as well as the cinematic achievements of the Afr ...
s Nomination in 2012. The film also won the Best Diaspora film at the 2012
San Diego Black Film Festival.
In 2016, Djansi directed ''Like Cotton Twines'', an exploration of the practice of
Trokosi in her native Ghana. The film was nominated for "Best World Fiction Film" at the
Los Angeles Film Festival
The LA Film Festival was an annual film festival that was held in Los Angeles, California, and usually took place in June. It showcased independent, international, feature, documentary and short films, as well as web series, music videos, episod ...
.
Djansi's work and contribution to the Ghana film industry has been recognized by UNiFEM Ghana, The African Women Development Fund, The Ghana Musicians Association and other social issue minded communities.
References
External links
*
Turning Point Pictures*Keisha Hatchett
"Interview: ''Like Cotton Twines'' Filmmaker Leila Djansi on Slavery, Black Unity and Diversity in Hollywood" ''
The Mary Sue
Daniel Abrams (born May 20, 1966) is an American media entrepreneur, television host, legal commentator, and author. He is currently the host of the prime-time show ''Dan Abrams Live'' on NewsNation, ''On Patrol: Live'' on Reelz and ''The Dan Ab ...
'', 20 January 2017.
*Stephen Saito
"LA Film Fest '16 Interview: Leila Djansi on Untangling 'Like Cotton Twines ''The Moveable Fest'', 15 June 2016.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Djansi, Leila
1981 births
Living people
Ghanaian film directors
Ghanaian women film directors
Ghanaian film producers
Ghanaian women film producers
Ghanaian screenwriters
Women screenwriters
Mawuli School alumni
Ghanaian filmmakers