Acclaimed filmmaker Andrew Dosunmu, whose new drama Mother of George just won the cinematography award at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, hesitates a bit when asked about the differences between trying to make an independent film versus a commercial blockbuster.
"Well, I've never dealt with anything but independent film, so I can't really answer that one directly," he said during a lengthy interview Monday. "All I know is the independent world. My biggest struggle is always around financing, getting the movie made, keeping things going, ensuring that you'll make payroll.
"I've found that you can get quality actors to work for you if the script is good. They are attracted to the material. Even when you have people behind the scenes making these statements that 'black people don't want to see anything except comedies,' there are outstanding actors out there who want to tell other stories, who want to be a part of quality alternatives. It's just always a struggle to get the money to keep going."
But Dosunmu has done just that. Mother of George, which will have its first North American showing outside Sundance at The Belcourt Thursday, has gotten plenty of critical buzz from those fortunate enough to see it at the festival. The director has maintained a degree of mystery around it, not permitting any advance screenings and limiting what he'll say about it to generic responses regarding content. During a radio interview, he even dodged a question about whether he shot in digital HD or film, saying he would be "glad to answer that question later."
"The film's about a woman who will do anything to keep her marriage and family intact," Dosunmu said. "But beyond that it's about what people are willing to do and what consequences they are willing to accept in order to accomplish certain things and to protect things. I really wanted to explore that subject matter, just what are the limits of what someone will do or where someone will go to protect something they value and love."
This much is known: The film examines the aftermath of events following the wedding of a young Nigerian woman and a Brooklyn restaurant owner, and its key stars include The Walking Dead's Danai Gurira ("She was sensational," Dosunmu says), Isaach De Bankolé, Yaya Alafia and Tony Okungbowa. Already the film has drawn praise from The New York Times and Entertainment Weekly, and at Sundance it was acquired for distribution by Oscilloscope Laboratories, the late Beastie Boy Adam Yauch's revered indie imprint.
This is Dosunmu's second feature film — his 2011 work Restless City was also widely praised during its Sundance run. (It too was shot by gifted cinematographer Bradford Young, whose track record extends to former Nashville resident Dee Rees' award-winning indie drama Pariah.) Born and educated in Nigeria, Dosunmu has a background that includes stints in fashion, album cover design and video direction. Some past clients include Aaron Neville, Talib Kweli, Public Enemy, Isaac Hayes and Angie Stone.
"That gave me a good introduction into the world of pressure and drama," Dosunmu says, laughing. "I was more than ready to step into feature films after that."
He's also thrilled to be part of what he considers a global movement to provide audiences with vital material and images vastly different from what's come before. "All across Africa and around the world I see directors with scripts and ideas that reject those clichés we've all seen dozens of times," Dosunmu says. "I think in the next 20 or so years, you're going to see a host of great films from Africa and around the world that tell stories about the African Diaspora and its people and culture that have previously been ignored, overlooked or forgotten."
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