African digital perspectives

#FilmmakerFriday | Frances Bodomo

Tumblr: tobogganeer

Twitter: @tobogganeer

Instagram: @tobogganeer​

Tell us about a project you’re currently working.

I’m currently working on my first feature film, based on my short film Afronauts (which premiered at Sundance and the Berlinale in 2014). It’s about a group of Zambians who, in the 1960s, attempted to make it to the moon in spite of their lack of access to the cutting-edge technology of the time.

I’m really proud of the short film because it’s the film that taught me artistic perseverance. It was really hard on my collaborators and myself to create a hot summer desert on a cold beach in New Jersey! We walked away from the shoot with barely enough to stitch a film together. Editing took months & included a lot of pensive breaks. My editor, the uber-talented Sara Shaw, and I went down many crazy paths to come to the one we picture-locked on. We were so sure and so unsure. We sent it out into the world knowing we had stuck to our guns, but not knowing what it would be in the eyes of others. It’s been an exhilarating, surprising ride ever since.

Kara Walker,  The Crossing, 2017