Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Justina Biosah. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Justina, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
As an actress and artist you can go through seasons of no work which can make you feel like you’re not doing enough. I mean a creative that’s not creating can be quite frustrating. I remember when I was 12 years old, I was in IT class and I thought to myself, I really don’t care about IT I just want to be an actress but at that moment I had no choice, school was mandatory. So one day in class I decided to write a film and I began to look forward to IT class because I knew I was just going to write my film, that kept me going. Fast track to 2016, I was living in LA pursuing a career in the entertainment industry, when things went slow, there was barely any auditions and I wasn’t booking much, then I remember asking God why there was no work, I specifically remember a voice in my head respond, ‘why don’t you create your own work?’ Then I remembered 12 year old Justina in IT class writing her own film, I decided it was time to bring that creative side of me out and I began writing scripts and that’s how Justina Productions started
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
My name is Justina I was born in London, I started Justina Production during the pandemic in 2020, I wanted a production company that produces films, shorts, music videos and fashion films. By this time I had 2 complete feature film scripts and ideas of future projects and I really wanted to start this new creative journey as a writer/director. I had also already starred in my first feature film shot a TV show pilot and had a few short films under my belt, I had learned what it was like to be an actress in front of the camera and had witnessed directors at work. My sister who is a fashion designer had just launched a foundation for sickle cell and was organising a gala for the September 2021 London fashion week, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to get Justina Productions involved, so I decided to write a short film called ‘Living With Sickle Cell’ and premiere it at the gala. This was my production companies first project. We set up castings on backstage and got a ton of amazing actor submissions, which also made me play the role of casting director. The shoot went extremely well, it was my first time as a director and I loved it. At the last minute I had to step in as one of the actresses as an actor couldn’t make it, but as acting was my first talent, it was no problem and since I wrote it, I already knew the lines so the crisis was minimal. The short film premiered during London fashion week and I was extremely proud that my first short film had such a big audience. Almost 2 years later I submitted the short film to the Cannes film festival, we were not selected but we were noticed, I was invited to attend Cannes by the BFI (British film institute) and Diversity Cannes who were holding events during the festival to honour black women in film in May 2023. I couldn’t believe it, my first short film got me noticed by such big organisations in the film industry. I attended the festival and attended the ‘Black women in film luncheon’ which was also hosted by the British blacklist. It was an incredible event and I met so many inspiring black female filmmakers. I was even featured in the Cannes market newspaper as they covered rising black female filmmakers at the Cannes film festival. Since that time, Justina Productions has also directed 2 fashion films, with one honouring sickle cell again. The film, ‘Phoenix Rising’ which premiered on September 28th 2023 for sickle cell awareness month, at the ‘fashion week studio’ Paris fashion week show, right before my sisters new collection, was our latest release. It is such an honour to not only create and work on cool projects, but also work on projects with meaning that help shine a light. That is what Justina Productions is all about.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I would say,
1. You have to have the drive to go for it, I didn’t have any experience as a director but I just went for it because if you wait till when you’re ready, you’ll never be ready.
2. Don’t be afraid to fail, looking back at the production, we had a few problems with sound and of course there are things I would change if I had more knowledge, but I would never change doing it. Failure is apart of life and growth and you can’t succeed if you don’t fail.
3. I was confident even though it was a new experience for me. I was used to just being an actress, receiving a script and getting direction, now I was in charge, I was the writer, director, producer, I was in charge of casting and set design, but I was confident that I could take on all of these roles. Confidence is always key, carry it well.
The advice I would give to someone who wants to create their own projects, is just start. Write that script, film that short film, make that project that has been on your mind, you don’t need a ton of money, there are plenty of talented rising actors who are looking for collaboration to build there reels, so no excuses. And also do your research and learn the craft, yes talent is great but knowledge is power.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
As a new production company we are always looking for people to collaborate with. We have a ton of projects in the making so we always on the lookout for actors, cinematographers, sound and light crew, film editors, composer’s and AD’s. You can contact [email protected]
Contact Info:
- Website: https://officialjustina.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialjustina/
- Other: justinaproductions.com
https://www.instagram.com/justinaproductions/
