Kalu Oji is an Nigerian-Australian filmmaker. He is also a writer and visual artist. He is establishing himself as Australia’s emerging filmmaker. His explores identity in the African-Australian experience. He is a graduate of Victorian College of the Arts (2018).
His graduate film Blackwood (2019) picked up Filmmaker To Watch Award (Atlanta FF). Luggi Waldleitner Award for Best Screenplay (Filmschoolfest Munich). Finally Best Cinematography (Flickerfest). Kalu has done two more shorts; The Moon and Me (2020) and What’s in a Name? (2022).
indieactivity: How did you cut it?
Kalu Oji (KO): Having cut all of our earlier shorts myself, Pasa Faho was our first time working with an external editor, and was one of the relationships I was most excited about with this project. Our editor, Mark Atkin came with a wealth of experience yet none of the ego.
From early conversations it was clear he was excited by and understood our ambitions. We spent about 12 weeks cutting the film. At the 4 & 8 week mark (ish), we screened the rough cut to a small cinema of about 50 people. These sessions were invaluable, albeit initially terrifying, affording us clarity and direction.
The Official Trailer for Pasa Faho by Kalu Oji
How did Pasa Faho come about?
Kalu Oji (KO): I started formally writing Pasa Faho about 5 years ago, with it previously existing as a series of notes, sketches, and some loose character / scene ideas. The film was born from my desire to take themes that felt very close and rich to me, and construct these characters and a plot that let me interrogate and explore them with depth, humour, and heart.
Did you change the film in the editing process, from the point of the screenplay?
Kalu Oji (KO): To be honest, no, not a lot. There was some dialogue that we chopped and changed here and there, and there was one short scene that we cut completely, but beyond that it’s quite true to the original screenplay.
The biggest change probably came in the rearranging of a few scenes in the film’s final third, as well as the trimming of a few of the monologues. I found the editing process actually taught me a whole lot about the writing process.
Did you find it easy to bring on board a producer for a first medium budget feature film?
Kalu Oji (KO): Having worked with Mimo and Ivy for the past seven years, the decision to work together on Pasa Faho was almost a no brainer.
What surprised me throughout the process was probably the way our specific roles evolved, especially them as producers and my understanding, or eventual lack of, how they do what they do. In that sense, yes, it was very, very easy to bring on board producers for this film.
Any words of advice for new filmmakers?
Kalu Oji (KO): My advice would be to look at what’s in your hands and what you can do with those resources, no matter how small they are. The majority of us have access to a pen and paper. Most of us have access to some kind of gadget that records moving images.
Understanding that film is a long journey, and that ‘mistakes’ are not experiences to be avoided but experiences to embrace. Get your hands dirty. Scrape your knees. Make something you dislike. These experiences will be the reason you go on to make films you love and adore.
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