Imani: Directing a Story of Art, Family, and Displacement
The Brief & Context
Set in present-day Washington, DC, Imani is an independent narrative short co-written, directed, and produced alongside cinematographer Nabil Abdulkadir. The film follows a young artist navigating creative ambition, family tension, and gentrification in a rapidly shifting city.
My Directorial Scope
Led the project through every phase of development: co-authoring the script, leading casting and rehearsals, directing a twelve-person crew across a week-long shoot, and overseeing post-production editing, sound mix, and color grading.
The Directorial Challenge
A story about structural change needed a visual language for it: the sterile, redevelopment-heavy architecture of modern DC set against the textured warmth of local music, family homes, and artist workspaces.
Authentic World-Building & Narrative Precision
Co-wrote the script and structured narrative beats around personal resilience, centering family dynamics and local artist culture as the thematic core of the story.
Paired handheld camera movements for intimate interior scenes with static wide shots of urban redevelopment to highlight the emotional tension between community warmth and physical displacement.
Directed a 12-person production crew across a week-long multi-location shoot in Washington, DC, managing on-set talent, daily call sheets, and creative blocking.
Guided edit and sound design sessions to layer ambient city soundscapes with live regional music, establishing Washington's sonic identity as an active character in the film.
Two Festivals and a Feature.
- Festival premiere and press coverage. Selected for the Juneteenth Film Festival at Landmark Bethesda Cinema Row and the Filmteenth Film Festival, with editorial feature coverage in District Fray.
- A twelve-person crew, held. A week-long multi-location shoot across DC: talent direction, daily call sheets and creative blocking, on an independent budget.
- A fiction debut. First scripted work after documentary and branded film, built with the same crew discipline and edit supervision as the commissioned projects.