Culture Spotlight Featuring Sean Kujo Ashanti

Sean Kujo Ashanti filmmaker grew up in Newark, Delaware. He attended college at Full Sail University where he received his Bachelors Degree in Film and Video Production.  After working with some studio giants such as Universal and Disney he'd later start his own production company. Today he's a producer, director and a writer focusing on short form video content, independent films and commercials. 

Tell us about your experience at the Hip Hop Film Festival. The Hip Hop Film Festival is LIVE. No, seriously, considering the challenges with Covid this has been the most immersive

festival I've been a part of. You can tell that the organizers really wanted this thing to be hype and it's is seriously top notch!

Why are stories from the culture important? Stories from the culture are important because representation is important. We can breathe in our storylines.  Often people outside the culture smother our narratives in narrow perspectives. There's a lot to us and only we can bring that nuance to life.

What projects are you working on now? Currently I'm working on "Crow Hill" a series that features a mutating infection that rages across the city. We are also in development for "Too Many Heroes," which is about the gentrification of super heroes in the hood. Both are very black with a 

very strong voice.

Why do you think the Harlem Film House and Hip Hop Film Festival are important? The Harlem Film House and The Hip Hop Film Festival are super important because it gives us filmmakers a place to be heard. Let me add, a place to be seen.  How you guys gets involved with the filmmakers and prepare them for the next level I have not seen before. It's a difference between "Thank you for your participation." and "So now, what we do