One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival is having a front-row seat for the bright future of independent filmmaking. While we can learn a lot about the filmmakers from the 2023 Sundance Film Festival through the art that these storytellers share with us, there's always more we can learn about them as people. This year, we decided to get to the bottom of those artistic wells with our Backstory questionnaire! I always knew I wanted to make films, says writer-director C.J. Fiery Obasi. But after getting a degree and working a 9-5 - sometimes 5-9 - I remember being at work, doing night shifts in the server room, streaming videos of filmmakers in Sundance and thinking, One day, I'll be here.' A decade later, Obasi fulfilled his promise to himself with Mami Wata, which premiered in the World Cinema Dramatic category at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.
Obasi's third feature-length film follows sisters Prisca and Zinwe as they try to restore order to their oceanside village of Iyi, whose people have divided into two camps: those who still place their trust in their current leader - who acts as a conduit for the mermaid goddess Mami Wata - and those who would impose a new system, one that does not consider the water deity at all.
Mami Wata's stunning monochrome palette impressed at the 2023 Festival, landing cinematographer L lis Soares the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award: Cinematography. U.S. audiences have a chance to watch the modern fable for themselves thanks to a September 29 theatrical release.
Below, discover the inspiration behind Mami Wata, why the story needs to be told now, and why Obasi believes filmmaking is important to the world.
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One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival is having a front-row seat for the bright future of independent filmmaking. While we can learn a lot about the filmmakers from the 2023 Sundance Film Festival through the art that these storytellers share with us, there's always more we can learn about them as people. This year, we decided to get to the bottom of those artistic wells with our Backstory questionnaire! I always knew I wanted to make films, says writer-director C.J. Fiery Obasi. But after getting a degree and working a 9-5 - sometimes 5-9 - I remember being at work, doing night shifts in the server room, streaming videos of filmmakers in Sundance and thinking, One day, I'll be here.' A decade later, Obasi fulfilled his promise to himself with Mami Wata, which premiered in the World Cinema Dramatic category at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. 
