Oge Obasi is the producer of Mami Wata, a female-driven revenge thriller based on the Mermaid Goddess folklore of West Africa. Winner of the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for cinematography at the Sundance Film Festival, the film will be screened at Dublin’s Light House cinema this Saturday as part of the Dublin International Film Festival.
The last thing I saw and loved… the beach at dawn.
The book I keep coming back to… The Sorrows of Satan by Marie Corelli.
I find inspiration in… children. They are everything.
My favourite film is… and will always be, Grease.
My career highlight is… my film having a world premiere at Sundance. Surreal!
The song I listen to to get in the zone is… “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen.
The last film I recommended is… Baahubaali. I still recommend it.
I never leave the house without… my glasses.
The performance I still think about is… Usher’s Super Bowl performance.
My dream cast would be… Denzel Washington and Meryl Streep.
The best advice I’ve ever gotten… know when to let go.
The book that means the most to me is… The Sorrows of Satan.
My favourite moment in this film is… the dance scene.
The most challenging thing about being in film is… getting distribution.
If I wasn’t a director/producer, I would be… an early education teacher.?
The magic of film to me is… visual sharing of a mental creation with a diverse, unlimited audience and its possibility of the film outliving the creators.
I wanted to make this film because… I want to see the kind of stunning, trailblazing African women I know, represented on screen.
Three other films you should see at DIFF this year are… Banel & Adama, Four Daughters, and Reawakening.
Mami Wata will screen as part of the African Season at DIFF on February 24th, followed by a Q&A with producer Oge Obasi and Black and Irish co-founder Femi Bankole. For more see diff.ie.