Leila Djansi

Lore & Background

Leila Afua Djansi is an American-Ghanaian filmmaker. She was born on 17 July to a father who worked as a pilot and a mother who was a senior nursing officer. Djansi spent her childhood in both India and Ghana. Her early education took place in Ho, in Ghana’s Volta Region, at Kabore Primary and JSS, followed by Mawuli School. She began film studies at the National Film and Television School before moving to the United States to complete a Film and Television degree at the Savannah College of Art and Design on an artistic honor scholarship. Djansi’s career in entertainment began in 1998 when she was a runner-up in a regional junior high school beauty pageant. She started her filmmaking work at age 19 with the Ghana Film Company and later wrote and produced *Legacy of Love* for the state-owned Gama Film Company. Her directorial debut, *I Sing of a Well* (2009), received 11 nominations at the Africa Movie Academy Awards, winning the Special Jury Award for Overall Best Film and the BAFTA/LA Choice Award at the Pan African Film Festival. This film is credited with introducing a new narrative style to West African storytelling and inspiring Ghanaian filmmakers to return home. Djansi consistently makes films about women and for women, employing diversity on and off camera, and has been recognized for using cinema to highlight women’s issues. Her subsequent works include the advocacy film *Sinking Sands*, which supported the UNiFEM Ghana campaign against violence toward women; *Ties That Bind*, which won Best Diaspora Film at the San Diego Black Film Festival; and *Like Cotton Twines*, an official selection at the 2016 Los Angeles Film Festival that examines modern-day slavery and the practice of Trokosi in Ghana. Other credits include *Where Children Play*, *40 and Single*, and *All The Men in my Life*.

Reader's Guide

Leila Djansi’s career is defined by her use of filmmaking to spotlight women’s issues and the experiences of women of black descent, while also pioneering a distinct narrative style in West African storytelling. Her directorial debut, *I Sing of a Well*, received numerous nominations at the Africa Movie Academy Awards and won a special jury prize, as well as a BAFTA/LA Choice Award at the Pan African Film Festival. This film is credited with revolutionizing Ghana’s film industry and inspiring Ghanaian filmmakers to return home and contribute to telling African stories. Djansi followed with *Sinking Sands*, an advocacy film created in support of a UNiFEM campaign against violence toward women. Her later work, *Like Cotton Twines*, was an official selection at the Los Angeles Film Festival and explores modern-day slavery in Ghana, specifically the practice of Trokosi. She has consistently employed diversity both in front of and behind the camera, and her films have earned recognition from international organizations for their focus on women’s rights. Djansi’s other credits include *Ties That Bind*, which won Best Diaspora Film at the San Diego Black Film Festival, and the episodic series *40 and Single* for AMC’s Urban Movie Channel.

Did You Know?

• Leila Djansi initially aspired to become a gynecologist before developing an interest in forensics and studying criminology.
• She grew up in both India and Ghana.
• Djansi has been praised for employing diversity both behind and in front of the camera.
• She is admired for revolutionizing Ghana's film industry.
• Her films consistently address women's issues and tell stories of women of black descent.