Andrew Dosunmu

Andrew Dosunmu is a Nigerian photographer and filmmaker who came to prominence in The United States after directing music videos for various acclaimed artists including Isaac Hayes, Angie Stone, Common, Tracy Chapman, Wyclef Jean, Kelis, Aaron Neville, Talib Kweli and Maxwell.

He is the director of the 2011 drama film Restless City, which premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. His next film, 2013's Mother of George, also premiered at Sundance, and was the Closing Night selection for Maryland Film Festival 2013. Dosunmu currently lives between New York and Lagos, Nigeria.

Career

Photography

Dosunmu started his career as a design assistant at the fashion house of Yves Saint Laurent. He later became a creative director (serving in that position for album covers for such artists as Erykah Badu and Public Enemy) and a fashion photographer, with his photographs appearing in various international magazines. In 2007, he was honored with the request to speak at the TED Global conference. Dosunmu has directed and photographed numerous commercials for print advertising & TV for companies such as AT&T, General Motors, Levi's, Giordano Jeans, Kenneth Cole, Buddy System for ABC, Ass Kicking for PSA, My Kind of Town for AMES, Soul Food for Showtime. Photographs from his documentary The African Game were published in a coffee-table book by powerHouse Books. Dosunmu was recently selected to participate in the photography exhibition Snap Judgments: New Positions in Contemporary Photography at the International Center of Photography. Dosunmu has been a contributing photographer for publications like Vibe, Clam, Fader, Face, Paper, Interview, i-D, Vogue Hommes – France and Italy, Complex, & Ebony.

Restless City

Restless City is a 2011 independent drama film directed by Andrew Dosunmu. It was written by Eugene M. Gussenhoven and stars Sy Alassane, Sky Nicole Grey, Tony Okungbowa and Babs Olusanmonkun. It premiered on January 23, 2011, at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.

Plot

The film tells the story of Djibril (Sy Assane), a young African immigrant trying to make a life for himself in the streets of Harlem in New York. A struggling musician who hopes to one day score a record deal, he survives in the mean time by selling CDs on the street and taking on gigs as a courier with the help of his moped. When he meets the beautiful and vulnerable Trini (Sky Grey), he jeopardizes everything to save her from her squalid life.

Cast

References

External links

Film festival

A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upon the festival's focus, can include international and domestic releases. Some festivals focus on a specific film-maker or genre (e.g., film noir) or subject matter (e.g., horror film festivals). A number of film festivals specialise in short films of a defined maximum length. Film festivals are typically annual events. Some film historians do not consider Film Festivals as official releases of film, like Jerry Beck. The best known film festivals are the Venice Film Festival, the Cannes Film Festival, the Toronto Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, and the Berlin International Film Festival, the latter being the largest film festival worldwide, based on attendance. The Venice Film Festival is the oldest major festival. The Melbourne International Film Festival is the largest film festival in the Southern Hemisphere and one of the oldest in the world. A 2013 study found 3,000 active films festivals worldwide—active defined as having held an event in the previous 24 months.

Andrew

Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s it was among the top ten most popular names for boys in English-speaking countries. In Italian, the equivalent to "Andrew" is "Andrea", though "Andrea" is feminine in most other languages. "Andrew" is frequently shortened to "Andy" or "Drew". The word is derived from the Greek: Ανδρέας, Andreas, itself related to Ancient Greek: ἀνήρ/ἀνδρός aner/andros, "man" (as opposed to "woman"), thus meaning "manly" and, as consequence, "strong", "courageous", and "warrior". In the King James Bible, the Greek "Ἀνδρέας" is translated as Andrew.

Popularity

Australia

In 2000, the name Andrew was the second most popular name in Australia. In 1999, it was the 19th most common name, while in 1940, it was the 31st most common name. Andrew was the first most popular boys name in the Northern Territory in 2003 to 2015 and continuing. In Victoria, Andrew was the first most popular name for a boy in the 1970s.

Canada

Andrew was the 20th most popular name chosen for male infants in 2005. Andrew was the 16th most popular name for infants in British Columbia in 2004, the 17th most popular name in 2003, and the 19th most popular name in 2002. In 2001, it was the 18th most common name. From 1999 – 2003, Andrew was the sixth most often chosen name for a boy.

Mother of George

Mother of George is a 2013 Nigerian drama film directed by Andrew Dosunmu and tells the story of a newly married Nigerian couple in Brooklyn who own and manage a small restaurant while struggling with fertility issues.

The film premièred in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. Cinematographer Bradford Young won Sundance 2013's Cinematography Award: U.S. Dramatic for his work on this film and Ain't Them Bodies Saints.Mother of George was also selected as the closing night film at the 2013 Maryland Film Festival.

The film has been acquired for U.S. distribution by Oscilloscope Laboratories.

Cast

Plot

The film opens with the wedding of a Nigerian couple, Ayodele (Issach de Bankolé) and Adenike (Danai Gurira) Balogen. Adenike is given fertility beads by her mother-in-law, Ma Ayo (Bukky Ajayi) and although the couple make love on their first night of marriage, Adenike struggles to become pregnant. Despite drinking a tea that is supposed to help with fertility, Adenike is still unable to conceive and faces growing pressure from Ma Ayo. A visit to the doctor reveals that Adenike can receive help on the issue, but Ayodele refuses to cooperate.