Each year, the BlackStar Film Festival celebrates the work of Black, Brown, and Indigenous people from around the world. In this year’s lineup (presented virtually), we were thrilled to see Staff Picked creators like Garrett Bradley, Savanah Leaf, and Rachel Harrison Gordon among many others recognized for their extraordinary work.
This year also marks the first Vimeo Staff Pick Award at BlackStar. We’re excited to present the award to filmmaker Curtis Essel for his stunning experimental film “ALLUMUAH,” produced by Nowness. Inspired by his late grandmother’s stories, the film weaves proverbs from four African tribes with vivid images and digitally created worlds. It is a journey that pays homage to culture, identity, and digital creativity.
We reached out to Curtis ahead of the release on Vimeo to learn about the film and his creative process. Read on for excerpts from our conversation.