KEMI
AYODELE
Filmmaker / Director
Bio
Kemi Ayodele grew up in the state of Maryland, she started at Prince George’s Community College and earned her Associates of Arts from the institution. During her time in community college she took a series of TV production and film classes alongside her various art courses, although it was not her original interest it soon gained momentum demanding a proper place in her life. After getting her foot in the door, post graduation, she decided to transfer to Bowie State University under the Visual Communication Digital Media Arts major, with a concentration in Digital Cinema Time-Based Media. To her delight it was just the push she needed, this came with various opportunities and experiences available to the students in her major such as internships, speaking engagements from majorly known brands and companies, and screening for newly released movies, not to mention the unwavering support and encouragement from staff members. Unbeknownst to her, these were the fortunate experiences that would be the breeding ground for her future success.
Thesis
Through my film I want to invite the audience into the world of the unknown and unpredictable. The theme I’m following is the concept of an anomaly. I want it to be an exciting experience that breaks the boundaries of their norm. This film was inspired by other time travel movies, but this is one with my own twist on it. The main character in my film shows how most of us are in the routine and comfort of our daily lives. This is so until she is plucked from her own time period and dropped into another one. Part of the reason I chose to have this theme was because while it’s exciting, I personally think no one should ever be too complacent, we never know what’s going to happen. If there is one thing that the past few years have taught me is we can go from celebrating weddings and family events, to a pandemic, something we never thought would happen at least while we’re here. Though the main character is dropped into another time period she eventually returns to her own. And just like we all have felt the effects of the pandemic, we’ll eventually get back to normal.
Photos
Artist Statement
One thing that often intrigued me was the idea of unplanned and peculiar events. These are things you would never be able to see coming, but often leave you with a different outlook on the world you thought you knew. Movies like Hot Tub Time Machine and Back to the Future are prime examples of this, whilst comical and mind bending, it stretches the idea of what science or magic or some mysterious force could do and they articulate the concept of an anomaly. An anomaly is something that deviates from what is standard or expected. This is the kind of thing that excites me, as I watch these things happen, I put myself in the character's shoes, trying to feel their emotions and think their thoughts. Anxiety, confusion, disorientation, excitement. How did I get here? How will I get back? Where am I? What happens next? These are the things you ask yourself while engulfed in a story of uncertainty and conflict. My intention was to do my best to portray this in my film, and I think this was done successfully. Apart from engaging the audience with the idea of unpredictable events, I wanted to be able to reflect what had happened in these past few years, but on a lighter note. If you think about it, the pandemic threw us for a loop. If people could leave they would, the stress levels and disorientation spiked and the feeling of the unknown plagued many people around the world. Whilst there may not be a tragedy in my film I wanted it to have a voice that echoed what we experienced.
