Meet Djaka Souaré

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Djaka Souaré. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Djaka, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

I grew up watching movies from all over the world and was immediately mesmerized. Cinema was such a major component of my upbringing, and, in so many ways, it raised me, defined who I became, and gave me a purpose. For me, Cinema challenges mindsets, intellectually, emotionally, and artistically – it opens horizons. From that exposure was born my hunger to tell the stories of people who were different – risk takers who bet it all for a greater cause, against all odds, unsung heroes whose humanity defines their path and destiny.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I started on stage when I was a kid. From classical theater to musical theater to Film & TV, along the way I decided to develop my own content and write my own plays/scripts. Not only for me to exist and act in more authentic stories that weren’t accessible to me, but also in stories that simply weren’t written. So I started creating multidimensional, multilingual, and multicultural narratives in a spirit of DIY (“Do It Yourself” for the people in the back) because why wait?

I’m currently in post-production for two very exciting shorts/proof of concepts. “Cut Me If You Can”, that I starred in and am a producer on, is a horror-comedy about two black characters who, stuck in a B movie, realize that they’re always the first ones to die – and decide to strike back. The film takes you on a crazy wild ride, it is super fun and has a very powerful social commentary a la “Get out”. Panavision and Cinelease came on board as sponsors, the concept is so unique, and we have a feature script ready to go. The other project, “Reunion”, directed by Zainab Jah and Tim Naylor, is a captivating drama about an African immigrant living in NYC who finds out that the man who wiped out her entire family years ago also lives in NYC, as a best-selling author. I produced it and have a role in it. Different projects, same goal: hit the festivals and find financing to shoot the feature versions.

I’m also excited to shoot and direct the first part of my pilot script in NYC this year: “Ainoah”, dystopian tale of a secret society of multicultural women, won the 2022 Kosinima Grant and made it to Top 20 of 2021 Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad Indeed Rising Voices. The other projects I’m developing are “Mandjou”, an animated TV series about a young African prince, grandson and successor of Samory Touré, fearless warrior known and feared for his mystical powers, and “Rite of Passage”, feature film based on my father’s life story, Sufi Guinean immigrant who illegally escaped his country in the 1970s.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
More often than not, along the path, I tried to “fit in”, in circles and spaces that were obviously not initially built for me, but I found my power asserting my singularity and my individuality, tapping into my essence and my identity, and creating my own space. As a multicultural woman of color, my African roots, my French culture, the complexity of living at the intersection of cultures play a major role in my storytelling. And I believe that my breadth of experience in Europe, in the US, in Africa, allows me to bridge cultural divides and speak to a wide audience. Introspection is a mandatory endeavor to define oneself and finding that very special voice is what my artist’s journey is about. Identity, discovery, collaboration? It’s hard to pick only three!

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
Yes, always. First, I want to participate in providing a better representation of the African diaspora. Africans are such powerful contributors to world history, arts, culture, innovation, and business, yet rarely at the center of the story and champions of our own destiny in western cinema. My inspiration and my heart are deeply rooted in the continent, and I want to be part of strong narratives that celebrate and delve into what it means to be of African descent, multilingual, international, biracial, citizen of the world. Also, I am passionate about stories of resilience that trigger empathy, there is just so much to tap into when exploring and offering new perspectives on cultures, ancestry, and identity, so I am always looking to collaborate with trailblazers, innovators, and risk-takers. And last, I’ll be speaking at the Afro Animation Summit in Burbank at the end of April (shameless plug) and, as I’m developing my first animated project, I cannot wait to meet with filmmakers, executives and studios and move forward with Prince Mandjou and his magic flute!

Contact Info:


Image Credits:
Headshots by @Daisy Rey Portrait on Harlem stoop for LITTLE AMAL – The Walk Project – Photo by @Abigail Montes Color Creative Red Carpet @Sundance 2023

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