West African countries plagued by civil unrest often wage war on women in the form of rape. GRACE is one such victim, birthing a daughter, HAWA, as a consequence of this rape. Having been separated from her child for 8 years, Grace finally joins young Hawa in the U.S., ushering in a new life with her estranged daughter's surrogate family. Seen through the eyes of 8 year old Hawa, Grace's already unraveling mental state surfaces in violent and self destructive behavior as she struggles to adapt to American life.

Director/Writer: Nikyatu Jusu

THE CAST
Grace__ Ellie Foumbi
Young Hawa__ Dennise Gregory
Aunty Aisha__ Ebbe Bassey
Chris__ Hisham TawfiQ
Adult Hawa__ Kehinde Koyejo

DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT

SAY GRACE BEFORE DROWNING is inspired by the experiences of my cousin, Gloria Khoury [GRACE]. Sierra Leone was ravaged by civil war from roughly 1991-2001. During this time, many of my relatives managed to escape-however; all were not spared. Gloria and her daughter Yatta [HAWA] are considered immensely fortunate. My mother facilitated both Yatta's and her mother Gloria's immigration to the US, yet none of us foresaw Gloria's violent battle with schizophrenia. Surfacing as a consequence of brutal rapes and torture at a young age-Gloria's schizophrenia inevitably affected her maternal abilities and thus her daughter Yatta was left in the hands of my mother. Yatta is a product of rape and her inherently childlike innocence leads her to believe that her Rebel Leader Father was arrested because of his infidelity to her mother. We, of course allow her to believe this harmless lie.
I felt compelled to tell this story because, having witnessed the long lasting effects that civil war wages on its female victims first hand, I am in a position to shed light on the prevalent issue of diasporic women forced to raise children bred from rape. I chose to tell this story through the child's eyes because I believe that children witness life in a very objective manner-not yet mature enough to form too many discriminating opinions-similarly Say Grace Before Drowning, is not a barrage of manipulation on its viewer, but rather a sensory sequence of events that will be sure to move its audience.
Say Grace was shot on two high end HD cameras (the RED and VARICAM 2700) in Atlanta, Georgia and New York. HD is an extremely accessible and user friendly format, quickly becoming the industry standard for lower budget films. Originally, I aspired to portray Say Grace through the lauded medium of 35mm film; however, due to budgetary constraints and travel expenses I felt that HD would accomplish a comparably aesthetically pleasing look in the hands of my skilled Director of Photography, Daniel Patterson, whom I met in film school and consequently have worked with throughout my nascent filmmaking career.
Sylistically, the film is imbued with high saturation and high contrast: pervaded by warm colors such as oranges and reds. The brightness of such a palette is not only inherent to African Fashion, Food and Scenery but is also indicative of happiness and hope. I want viewers to leave Say Grace harboring a strong sense of fulfillment.

AWARDS/DISTINCTIONS
For the screenplay alone earned Nikyatu Jusu a Spike Lee Scholarship and a Princess Grace Foundation-US Graduate Film Scholarship.

SCREENINGS
> SATURDAY April 2nd @ NYU's First Run Film Festival @ 8PM
Cantor Film Center located at 36 East 8th Street.

> SUNDAY April 10th @ the African Film Festival in NY @ 2PM
Walter Reade Theater, Lincoln Center.

> TUESDAY April 12th @ 4:30PM the African Film Festival in NY
Walter Reade Theater, Lincoln Center.

> ATLANTA FILM FESTIVAL tba (late April)

> on HBO in February 2011
* Premiere