As a filmmaker, my motivation, approach, and overall perspective centers on purposeful, creative, storytelling. In order to take on a sole role as producer and commit to a project to the extent that a successful independent film requires, I must strongly believe in the strength and relevance of the script and the artistry of the director whose vision will bring it to life. Thus the best reasoning for my involvement can be found in my support for this story and the filmmaker Odera Ozoka. First is the historical relevance. I want this film to be made, because I believe that film plays an increasingly important role in our global culture and in the documentation and preservation of our unique cultures. Underrepresented stories in media ensure that the record includes diverse perspectives, thereby offering a more accurate account of the human experience and capacity for self-expression. When the subject matter is based on actual events, as is the case in A Forgotten Place, the responsibility is even greater. For audiences who have no connection to the Biafran War neither through life experience nor cultural history, this film becomes a means by which their understanding of the world and our global history is expanded. For the Nigerian people, those who experienced the war, and those living in the African diaspora, the film is a mirror, a means for self-reflection and honest critique, a catalyst for continued conversations. For all of us, the film can serve as another tool to teach us about the ramifications of war and the hopes, fears, and resilience that we all share. I knew that in writing the script, Odera would bring a deeply personal connection to the subject matter, a commitment to historical fact, and a worldliness that conquered bias or limited thinking, and thus I was confident that once prepared to unleash his creativity, the screenplay would graciously carry the weight of a war film and live up to the potential to affect hearts and minds. Second is my mission to democratize film. I understand that my access to the industry has been in large part due to my education, personal network, and financial resources. It has also been in part, geographical. There are many extremely specific factors that have created gross inequality in possibility for filmmakers. This is changing, but there is still a long way to go. I feel as if my personal contribution can be through collaboration with artists from all over the world and by taking film productions outside of Hollywood or the US at large, and into global communities that can benefit from the economic stimulus as well as the exposure to the field. A Forgotten Place will employ skilled artisans and much of the talent and crew from Nigeria. It is a project of large enough scale to create impact and a platform for these artists to be seen by the larger international film community. Many scenes will be filmed in locations not even commonly used in Nigerian cinema. The broader the contribution to the cinematic arts, the more detailed, innovative, and transcendentally powerful the medium will become. Films like A Forgotten Place advance the art form. And then there’s the particular example of the writer/director, Odera Ozoka. Odera can explain, with astounding forethought, how the film depicts the war through neo-realism or the internal struggles of the main characters through surreal vignettes. Yet these descriptions merely brush the surface of the artistic elements that encompass the creative direction for this film. A Forgotten Place is so many things. It is a drama, anchored by the depth of interpersonal relationships but also has elements of an epic, period war film. Odera’s approach to setting, the use of evocative landscapes in exotic locations, through which the characters travel on their quest, make it an adventure. His experimental plan for color and lighting and willingness to explore the darkest parts of humanity are sampling from film noir. Anjelica Bastien wrote “Noir is chimeral and dream-like. It is that black, yawning abyss we tell ourselves not to fall into. It is the dark mirror we are afraid to gaze upon. In noir, the monsters are human, the monsters are us.” This too is A Forgotten Place. In an age in which most movies are hybrids in genre and form, Odera expertly utilizes mechanisms from the whole spectrum of film techniques. And yet a strong sense of authorship in his work proves that his creative choices are purposeful. Lastly, there is the viability of the project. The script’s focus on personal stories rather than a far-sighted view of the war makes the budget both realistic to acquire and to successfully produce the film while maintaining production value. Odera’s experience having completed two feature films coupled with his unique access to Nigerian resources bode well for him in building a great creative team and the execution of his vision. The depth of the script matched with a reasonably sized budget will also make this film alluring to actors, so the possibility of assembling a cast with some great known and unknown talent is strong. And I’m bringing my very particular producing experience, which has given me an understanding of excellence in production value according to American industry standards and a realistic idea of line producing films in foreign countries, in isolated locations, with limited film resources, and often with people of another native language. Odera and I have shared the story, the intent of the film, our personal missions, his creative approach and the strategy to financing and distributing the film. It should be clear that A Forgotten Place’s success is evident from the unexampled combination of its parts.