Sankofa
Moving forward through looking back.
ABOUT
A Nigerian filmmaker living in America for the past ten years searches out spaces that connect him to his African roots. He finds Aunty Kiki, a business-minded Ghanaian woman, and Uncle Jim, an American man who is passionate about African tribal art, who are planning to open a children’s museum of African art in Baltimore. Following the couple as they move their collection from their small store into a new space farther out in the city, the film meditates on the role of art, whether in handcrafts or filmmaking, in building a community.
YEAR 2020
RUN TIME 20:00 Min
CAST & CREW CREDITS
Director: Retji Dakum
Music: Vincent Fasano
Cinematography: Retji Dakum
Assistant Camera Operators: Nick Tucker | Avery Griffin
Editor: Retji Dakum
Assistant Editor: Justin Foreman
Sound Supervisor: Camila Franco Ribeiro Gomide
Principal Cast: Esther Armstrong| Jim Clemmer
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
My identity is complex and my influences are diverse. Being from Nigeria, I have identified myself through my culture, but after living in America for almost a decade, I have also learned to identify myself through my race. Using photography, music, and film, my art uncovers the reality of both my African culture and my race as a black man in America. Sankofa tells the story of my journey to self-discovery and how I use my art to represent that journey.
DIRECTOR BIO
Retji is an artist born in Jos, Nigeria, where he lived until he was fifteen years old. He earned his
undergraduate degree in digital art from The College of New Jersey in 2015, whereupon he returned to Nigeria to complete his National Youth Service Corps program. He currently resides in Baltimore where he is pursuing his master’s degree in filmmaking at the Maryland Institute College of Art.
FILM AND PRODUCTION STILLS
INTERVIEW
AWARDS
OFFICIAL SELECTION – 2020 Baltimore International Black Film Festival
OFFICIAL SELECTION – 2020 DC Black Film Festival
FULL FILM
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Retji is an artist born in Jos, Nigeria, where he lived until he was fifteen years old. He earned his
undergraduate degree in digital art from The College of New Jersey in 2015, whereupon he returned to Nigeria to complete his National Youth Service Corps program. He currently resides in Baltimore where he is pursuing his master’s degree in filmmaking at the Maryland Institute College of Art.
(Update provided in May 2020)