Leila Djansi

 

Ein Early life

Dem born Leila Afua Djansi for 17 July. Her papa be pilot, her mama be big nurse. Djansi grow up for India and Ghana. Acting and writing be her hobby, but she wan be doctor wey dey deliver baby, dat be her dream. But dat dream change wen she start to like forensics. Wen she dey study criminology, anoda t'ing happen, she meet Ghana actor Sam Odoi, wey tell am to write script for am. She be 19 years wen her script Babina become movie, producer Akwetey Kanyi be de one wey make am happen.

Ein Education

Djansi go school for Kabore Primary, den JSS, den Mawuli School, all for Ho, inside Volta Region, Ghana. She go der for primary, junior, plus secondary education.

She start learn film t'ing for National Film and TV School, but she leave Ghana go US, go continue her Film and TV degree for Savannah College of Art and Design, dem give am scholarship because of her artistic skills.

Ein Career

She be President of Ghana Library Board Readers Club for three years,Djansi start her entertainment career for 1998, wen she be runner-up for one beauty contest for her junior high school, She be young girl dat time, but she start shine.

Djansi start ein filmmaking t'ing for Ghana wen she be 19 years old, She start with Ghana Film Company, den she move go Gama Film Company, wey be owned by government, chale! For dere, she write and produce one film wey be called Legacy of Love.

Her first film wey she direct, I Sing of a Well, for 2009, get 11 nominations for Africa Movie Academy Awards, Dat film win Special Jury Award for Overall Best Film, Plus, dem give dem BAFTA/LA Choice Award for excellence in filmmaking for Pan African Film Festival.

Djansi follow up plus anoda film, Sinking Sands, wey dey support Say No to Violence Against Women Campaign for UNiFEM Ghana. Den for 2011 insyd, ein film Ties That Bind win Best Diaspora Film for San Diego Black Film Festival, e also become official selection for AFI's New African Films Festival for 2012 insyd. De star of de film, Kimberly Elise, be nominated for Best Actress for American Black Film Festival. De film also be nominated for Outstanding Foreign Film for 2012 Black Reel Awards.

Djansi's film, Like Cotton Twines, be selected for 2016 Los Angeles Film Festival under World Fiction Section. De film, wey dem shoot for Ghana, dey talk about modern-day slavery. One African American volunteer go to rural area for Ghana to teach, but he find out say one of him student, 14-year-old girl, dey forced to become religious slave.

Her other works include Where Children Play, wey feature Grammy winner Macy Gray, den 40 and Single, wey win Best Episodic Television Show for LA Film Festival, and dem show am for AMC's Urban Movie Channel, and All The Men in my Life, wey feature Rochelle Aytes.

Djansi dey get recognition from international organizations because she dey use film to talk about women's issues. She always dey make movies about women, and she dey employ people from different backgrounds to work on her films. She also change Ghana's film industry with I Sing of Well, which bring new style of storytelling wey nobody see before for West Africa. Her work inspire Ghanaian filmmakers to come back and tell African stories. Djansi still dey get praise for using film to tell stories about black women.

Ein Awards plus recognition

Djansi's first film, Grass Between My Lips, win Platinum Award for 2009 worldFest. De film talk about female circumcision and early marriage for one village for northern Ghana. For 2010, her first big film, I Sing of a Well, get 11 nominations for Africa Movie Academy Awards. De film win 3 awards: Best Sound, Best Costume, and Jury Special Award for Overall Best Film. For 2011, dem give Djansi BAFTA/LA Pan African Film Festival Choice Award for I Sing of a Well.

Djansi's 2011 film, Sinking Sands, get 10 nominations for Africa Movie Academy Awards. Ama K Abebrese win Best Actress Award, plus Djansi win Best Original Screenplay Award.

Djansi's third film, Ties That Bind, get nomination for Black Reel Awards for 2012. De film also win Best Diaspora Film for 2012 San Diego Black Film Festival.

For 2016, Djansi direct Like Cotton Twines, wey dey talk about Trokosi for Ghana. De film get nomination for "Best World Fiction Film" for Los Angeles Film Festival. Like Cotton Twines also win Best Narrative Feature award for 2016 Savannah Film Festival, and win de same award for Riverbend Film Festival for 2017.

Ein other credits dey include Film Independent Best Episodic give 2018 40 and Single wey dem create give AMCs' Allblk

External links

• Leila Djansi at IMDb
• Turning Point Pictures
• Keisha Hatchett, "Interview: Like Cotton Twines Filmmaker Leila Djansi on Slavery, Black Unity and Diversity in Hollywood", The Mary Sue, 20 January 2017.
• Borys Kit, And Then There Was You. Garcelle Beauvais to star in Leila Djansi's And Then There was You", The Hollywood Reporter, 18 April 2013.
• Stephen Saito, "LA Film Fest '16 Interview: Leila Djansi on Untangling 'Like Cotton Twines'", The Moveable Fest, 15 June 2016.