We recently sat down with Moses Lawi, up and coming filmmaker and recipient of the 2020 Black Filmmakers and Writers Grant. The grant was established earlier this year by Blackfilm.com, Black Film Space, 4910 Rosealie Productions, Mann Robinson Productions, and Free Mind TV & Film.
The organizations started brainstorming the fund in early May with the intention of giving direct support to Black Writers and Directors during the Covid-19 pandemic. The planning resulted in two days of online screenings of short films by Black Directors and Writers that raised $2,000 dollars to be awarded to two promising filmmakers.
What is your background?
Lawi’s film GOLDS delivered an outstanding performance with captivating storytelling and a compelling production. The film follows Mercy, a young boy from an impoverished neighborhood who must come up with creative ways to raise money for his ill mother. We got the opportunity to have a discussion with Lawi about his pursuits in filmmaking and plans for the future.
I was originally born in Tanzania, in Africa. My dad is from the Congo and my mom is from Tanzania. My dad met my mom in Tanzania, and from there we came to the US. I went to Glendale Middle school, then we moved around in Arizona a couple more times. We ended up staying put in South Phoenix Arizona which is where I essentially grew up.
What was your Education like?
I went to South Mountain High School. I played sports and did a little bit of videography here and there, but going into my Junior year of highschool is when I fell in love with Filmmaking. I was inspired by so many films and I sort of thought, “ Okay, I want to tell my stories as well”. I grew up in a place where the stories I know aren’t told very much, So I wanted to become the person to tell those stories.
I attended Arizona State University for film media production and I graduated with a bachelor’s degree this year. Going into college I started writing and directing here and there and I made a couple of short films, but I created GOLDS during my Junior and Senior year. It was a fun process, I wrote this with a Co- Writer Halla Nelson. I wanted to make sure that this story was overall very important and true to its nature. I wanted to tell it from my own background too so I added some snippets of my own dialect, Swahili.
How did you get started doing film?
There was this videography class that I was always interested in taking but I could never take it because I never had the money. It was a magnet class, so I wasn’t exactly able to take it. So I hung around the people that took that class and I gained experience from watching them. I made sure that I was involved in the things that they were involved in. When they had a small project that they had for the class, I made sure that I was involved. I also created some small skits here and there with a couple of my friends. I was just trying to learn the entire creative process of filmmaking and I was trying to learn about being a creative person in general. There wasn’t really anything huge I made, it was just a fun process I wanted to be a part of.
Was there a particular moment when you realized that filmmaking was not just a hobby, but that it would be your life and your living?
There was this film that came out called, Super 8. I watched that film and I was inspired just from watching it. There are so many films now that I definitely look up to that are more in my favor, but just watching that film specifically gave me a lot of motivation to become a storyteller and a filmmaker. My parents did not like it at all, they did not approve. Where I’m from they expect me to become a doctor, or an engineer, or this, and that. So when I said I wanted to become a filmmaker it was a whole thing that we sat down and talked about.
What was the inspiration behind GOLDS?
When it comes to the concept inspiration in general, Moonlight and If Beale Street Could Talk inspired me. Both of those films are directed by Berry Jenkins. He inspired me a lot. I’ve seen Moonlight way too many times. He really inspired me so I thought, “What if I created a story that fits into the same world as Moonlight but it is a completely different story.” So that overall inspired me and made me want to include my own background into the story so that people can understand me as a filmmaker and as a person.
Do you have any other Filmmakers that inspire you?
Yeah, definitely! I look up to Ryan Coogler as well. Fruitvale Station really inspired me. I also take a little bit of inspiration from Spike Lee because I know he likes to add stylized music to every single film he does. He loves music and uses music that is very rooted in where he lived and grew up. I really wanted to do the same thing with this film in general.
What is your creative process like and where does your inspiration come from?
With every single project that I do, I always try to dive into my own personal experience. I also try to dive into the experiences of people I know to make sure that the story is very authentic. When it comes to creating stories, I try to tell stories that are grounded and essentially in the drama realm. Although those kinds of stories may not always be true to where you’re at or where I’m at, they’re definitely true somewhere else. So I start my creative process by looking back on my own personal experiences to basically understand my own journey and where I can take that moving forward. Basically, my inspiration comes from my life experiences. I like sprinkling those moments into stories.
What is the toughest part of completing a project for you?
The toughest part overall is once you’ve completed filming, looking at your first rough cut and thinking, “Wow, this looks terrible.” Overall, that’s okay when it comes down to the first cut but that’s always the toughest part trying to get past. I’m able to overcome it by making sure I’m not the only voice in the room to ensure that the film is really good. I trust the process of my editor, I trust the process of my producer and I trust the process of my cinematographer. All of these people have voices and they have creative minds, so I make sure that at the end of the day they have a voice to make sure that the project moves forward on a great path.
Are you working on anything right now?
Yeah I’m working on a few things. Right now, me and a friend of mine are creating a musical. It’s based on four college freshmen who are trying to find their path in life. When you go into college your whole world changes and you become an adult. Trying to tell that story in a musical form is definitely something that I am interested in. We already wrote 10 episodes so far, and we have a concept video that we’re still in the process of making. At this point, we’ve just been trying to put it out there and pitch it to people. I’m just a fan of musicals in general. The color purple, Singing in the rain, Lala land, and Hairspray are the musicals that really inspired me to create one with my friend.
There’s another project I’m working on that’s inspired by my dad actually. It’s a story about a guy from Africa who smuggles his way into the U.S. so he can see his wife again who he lost contact with in a refugee camp trying to go over to the US. The story is inspired by Lion and Life of Pi mostly. It explores that journey of going far away in order to connect with the people that you really care about. So yeah, I’m messing around with a lot of projects here and there and I have a lot more.
Are there any areas you hope to explore in the future?
I am the type of person that is very open to experiencing each and every single thing that I possibly can. Being a kid that was born in Africa, I never had the experience of learning how to do many different things, So moving forward I definitely want to explore an array of different areas while continuing to tell very grounded stories.
Moving forward, what do you plan to do with the grant money?
I was speechless when I received the email from you guys telling me that I got it, so thank you again. I am extremely grateful. Right now I’m planning on going to L.A. to continue making films. That’s the path I chose, so I need to make sure that I have myself covered and have a place to live and things like that. Also I plan to save that money so I can continue telling stories in the future. That’s my goal. I don’t exactly have a lot but I’m trying to get to the place that I really want to be. I’m the first generation in my family to graduate college and there’s a lot of people in my family. My family has high hopes and I’m trying my best to uphold that, so this grant is going to push me forward and help me out in so many ways.
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