Nakom
Kelly Daniela Norris, T.W. Pittman
Ghana, USA. 90 Min. 2016
Cast: Jacob Ayanaba, Grace Ayariga, Justina Kulidu

Nakom, recreates the conflict between progress and tradition. In present day Ghana, Nakom follows Iddrisu, a medical student who is required by his family after his father’s sudden death. Iddrisu buries his father and temporarily assumes the role of head of family and impoverished farm, inheriting the task of planting the crop and the debt left by the deceased patriarch that could destroy the family. Iddrisu tries to continue his studies but is increasingly frustrated with the incessant needs of those around him and the demanding work of the land. The difficult relationship with his uncle Napoleon, who is owed the considerable debt, is further complicated by the pregnancy of Napoleon’s daughter. Over the season until the harvest, Iddrisu clings to tradition, duty owes family and all sense of urgency to do what he must to secure his own future.

Kelly Daniela Norris, graduated magna cum laude from Columbia University with a degree in Film and Psychology, and taught for 3 years in the South Bronx with Teach for America. She directed the narrative short film “Sinnerman” (winner of Audience Favorite Debut at the Route 66 International Film Festival and the Black Expressions Award at Indianapolis International Film Festival), and studied screen-writing under David Milch (“Deadwood”). She shot her first feature, “Sombras de Azul” (Shades of Blue), on-location in Cuba, weaving together memory, travelogue, and narrative as a tribute to her late brother. “Sombras de Azul” premiered at the Austin Film Festival, winning the Audience Award in its category. Norris directed her 2nd feature, “Nakom”, over a period of 4 months on-location in Ghana.

T.W. Pittman is a writer and producer with Rasquaché Films, which she co-founded with filmmaker Kelly Daniela Norris. She wrote and co-directed the short film Sinnerman (2009), and produced Norris’s debut feature Sombras de Azul (2013) on location in Cuba. Pittman wrote and co-directed Nakom (2016), set in the community of subsistence farmers in northeastern Ghana where she previously served with the U.S. Peace Corps.