Earlier on in the week, we spoke to Shomari Brown, lead actor in soon-to-be-released film 'Zion'.
'Yemani is a beautiful young woman with the weight of the world on her shoulders. She is heavily pregnant, alone and dealing with many deep emotional scars, yet hope comes to her from an unlikely source: a young and charismatic teenager who she meets coincidentally. His name is Zion. Intrigued by his mentality and nonchalance about his circumstance, every maternal instinct in her compels her towards him and a deep and beautiful friendship emerges. Will she be able to save him from the inevitable?'
Now Scene profiles award-winning producer of Zion, the lovely Sheila Nortley to find more about the film as well as her career as a producer.
On first look, some people might think 'Zion' is another black gang/roadman film – can you tell us what Zion is about and how it is not what some people may think?
Good question. I can't emphasize enough the fact that 'Zion' is not a hood film. The aim of the film is to basically draw attention to an issue which is endemic in our society. Sometimes the media want to talk about it on the news as some kind of new phenomenon. Sometimes they don't. Sometimes, a lot of black blood is spilt and they don't want to talk about it on the news. Why should they? Black people only make up 2% of the population in the UK, so it's our responsibility, my responsibility as a film producer. I think it’s an obligation for me to tell a story that is happening, that is really real. The realness of it is that the film was inspired by a conversation I had with a young man I met in the park; it was a similar conversation to a scene in 'Zion' where the two lead characters in the film meet – Zion and Yemani – and, it's real. It’s very very real. And it’s something that… I'm tired of it being glamorized, I'm tired of it being ridiculed and laughed at and I'm even more tired of people saying 'Oh, I'm sick about hearing about it'. Until we DO something to at least reduce the numbers or try and understand why little boys are killing little boys and why little boys are going to prison before they can even finish puberty or even hit puberty, it’s something that needs to be addressed in my opinion. 'Zion' is different in that it deals with a sense of community and the fact that we are all involved, the fact that one decision that a young person makes affects us all. You personally may not be involved in violence or crime, but your brother might, or your cousin might, or your nephew might. And if you don't know anyone who could possibly be involved in violence, stray bullets do not discriminate – anyone can be a victim. This is children handling guns and knives with little respect for the value of human life. So 'Zion' is a very emotive film and it touches on a few other issues we have in our community too.
What has the response been so far when people have heard about the film or see the trailer?
The response so far has been really really good. We've had lots of support so far from people within the industry and from people who are just interested in watching a good film. It’s quite scary for me – putting out a project like this. It’s very risqué. For example, I chose to make the lead character, Yemani, a very flawed heroine. She says and does things that people will scowl at. She's not supposed to be perfect because she represents us – but despite her flaws and imperfects she is able to love the 'unlovable'. These are the messages I hope people will respond warmly to, if they are open to looking beyond the surface.
What are the challenges to telling stories that differ from the norm and to get them seen by the public?
I think that the only issue I've had is the fear that people won't see that it’s different to the norm. I haven’t gone completely to the other side in terms of I'm talking about an issue that has seemingly been spoken about before. So that’s an issue; being careful to make sure the film is not perceived as rhetoric. There's more than two sides to every story and that is the thing that I thought could be challenging, but at the same time, I really can’t complain. This project has been so blessed that everything has run so smoothly – ridiculously smoothly, and my team will tell you. It's been remarkable – the amount of support that we've had, the amount of love that we've had and the amount of blessings that we've had in order to get this story told. When there is a story that needs to be told, I believe it will find a way of getting told, using different vessels, mediums and people to come together. And that’s the beauty of film – its collaborative nature- different people coming together to tell a story and that's how it’s been with 'Zion'. It was an idea that sparked after I saw a play about New Orleans called Lower Ninth. Hurricane Katrina was an issue that I believe we were desensitized to – the amount of people that died, the lack of help provided by President Bush and his government, the fact that the damage could have been reduced if the lives of the people of New Orleans were valued. My subconscious drew the parallels and another story that needed to be told emerged: 'Zion'.
What advice would you give to aspiring scriptwriters and film makers?
The advice I'd give to aspiring writers is to be open and to not allow negative experiences put you off your journey. It can be really disheartening and in my short time in film, I've sometimes found myself a little disillusioned with it all. It can be like a circus and every so often I'd just have to disappear for a little while, revaluate and remind myself why I do what I do and what I hope to achieve. It can help to keep you grounded, when you just stop and think. So I guess my advice to scriptwriters and filmmakers would be to always check themselves, their motivation and reflect on their intention – this is what I advise myself and so far it's has prevented me from giving up completely. I'd encourage filmmakers, myself included, to try and stay as true to the art as they can and just to work hard and treat everyone you work with with respect. That said, I think it’s advisable to also accept the fact that not everybody is out to be your friend and regardless of how much you may try to accommodate those around you, you will always be misunderstood to some extent – this is something I've learnt to accept.
How has the online space and the Internet had an impact on the work you do as a writer and film-maker?
It’s just a lot easier with social networking sites and YouTube and things like this to get your work seen by a lot of people for free, basically. It’s a great tool to get your production out there and if people see it and they get it, then it’s all good. I do go through periods of social-networking isolation where it gets a little bit claustrophobic and I deactivate everything and hibernate, but it makes communication and promotion easier from a business point of view so it’s had a positive impact on me.
What’s next for 'Zion', when will it be released and where can we see it?
We're screening the film in December, God willing, so everyone is really looking forward to that. Its completion was delayed slightly so we missed some festival deadlines but we can still enter it into some festivals. I'm also in discussions to have it screened at a few other locations in the UK and also in New York. We're also arranging to screen the film at various schools and young offenders units with the Rafiki Network and Black Link Suggestions. We want to hold workshops – drama workshops, film-making workshops, general media education workshops – and they'll get a chance to meet some of the cast and crew that worked on the film and hopefully be inspired. We're also working with various organisations and people, including one of my favourite speakers', Raymond Douglas – this man is an exemplary speaker and a phenomenal brother, Praise God. So yeah, I’m looking forward to it all. The film itself is for the people so I'm going to make it as accessible as possible after the screening and when it's released. Well, only God knows what will happen next.
And what’s next for you – any projects in the pipeline?
Gosh, for me? I don't know. My career and my personal life are very much reflective of each other and right now I'm at a place in my personal life, and therefore my career, where I'm revaluating a lot of things. I am now a Producer at Kingdom Entertainment Group and we have just shot a film in collaboration with the inspirational, Sebastian Thiel. I am in love with what we have created, not the productions but the team, the environment, the vibe, the progression – and I give thanks every time I am on set with these people. It’s a family. Much love goes out to Najan Ward, Duane Palmer, Aisha Sanusi, Abi Rufai, Daniel Bailey, Isa Ali, Ceriese, Rebecca…everyone. I'm working on a project with Ashley Chin at the moment which I hope to complete next year and I've had meetings to produce a feature film next year on a topic that is really intricate so I'm looking forward to that. There’s a lot going on and a lot that could potentially happen but there’s also a saying that 'a fool tells you what he will do; a boaster what he has done. The wise man says nothing'. God gives and He takes away, everything comes and goes. I've taken some quiet time to really focus on what is important to me and taken a little step down for a little while to breathe and meditate on what it is I want to do. Without a doubt, 'Zion' was a huge milestone for me and I put my heart into it.
Finally, what does diversity mean to you?
Diversity is a concept of different elements of the same thing, complimenting each other. For some reason when I hear the word 'diversity' I don't think of conflict. I think of things which complement each other even though they contrast each other, creating a beautiful spectrum of opportunity, creativity, education and knowledge. That's what I get from the word ‘diversity’.
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A huge thanks to Sheila for taking part in the Scene Profiles series. 'Zion' premieres at an exclusive event on December 8th.
For more information on 'Zion', visit the website: www.zionthemovie.co.uk
