Spotlight: revel on Letting Things Flow in Creative Process
Listening closely to our instincts, trusting, and believing in the value of creativity & culture has the ability to lead us into new territories of exploration that we never knew were possible. There is magic to discoveries like this, and Afrikana’s inaugural Script-to-Screen Resident filmmaker, revel, spoke with us about their first voyage into the world of screenwriting which brought them to a sold-out world premiere of Ninki Nanka this past weekend at the 8th Annual Afrikana Film Festival.
Read ahead for revel’s words:
Ninki Nanka World Premiere Talk Back
CultureWorks: Who are you and how did you become involved with storytelling through screenwriting?
revel: Just revel, all lowercase. It is a verb, it is a prayer. I use they/them pronouns.
I have always been a bit of a storyteller. I am somebody who eats stories; once I start one, I need to pull all of it in. My brain will stay in that reality until I find a sense of completion with the storyline. As far as Ninki Nanka and screenwriting, it has been unexpected. I received a download of this story from my ancestors and let it swirl in my consciousness for a year or two. One night, I wrote the screenplay down in the notes app on my phone, and then, I saw Afrikana’s submission for screenwriting and submitted it. A friend of mine had formatted it into a script format and made it an actual screenplay. It’s been very flow-based and serendipitous, and I’m very grateful for it.
CW: Why do you feel like the ancestors gave it to you?
r: There are certain parallels. I am a child of the swamp and crawled my way up out of the mud. The creature of Ninki Nanka is a swamp creature; that fascinates me. I feel like it was the combination of my interests in mythos, the life that I’ve lived, and the alignment of events through Afrikana. Mostly, because I was listening. I truly believe that ideas find people and manifest into reality.
CW: Tell me a bit about your relationship to your work. Do you gravitate towards certain themes or genres within screenwriting?
r: I love a monster, I love a creature. I love things that ask you to think about them when their endings don’t necessarily hold clarity. I love things that play around concepts of death and what we make it to be. I also really enjoy questions about evil and morality. Like, is this thing truly evil?
And, I love seeing people make big scary choices for themselves that lead them to places they could never imagine. Like making a short film! With Afrikana! [Laughs]
CW: Do you have a process for getting into the mindset of screenwriting?
r: No, I do not. As much as I have struggled to be someone who carefully plans, in my life in general, it’s never really worked out for me. What does work out for me, is when I let things flow and happen naturally. This is a gift that I am thankful for. Perhaps there will be more screenwriting in the future, or perhaps my future may take me somewhere completely different; either way, I am in acceptance, excitement, and gratitude for it all.
CW: Have you discovered anything new creatively through the experience of becoming a Script-to-Screen Residency filmmaker with Afrikana?
r: Oh, absolutely! I’ve learned so many things. I have never worked with a creative team before and that experience has been very exciting and nerve-racking at times. [Laughs] I’ve really had to practice the release of control. This project has very much felt like having a child to me. I wrote this screenplay, this child is born, and from that instance forward, there is outward influence that comes in and changes this living thing. In this film, you’re going to see all the people who ever had any kind of commentary or influence or even the smallest role; their intentions and processes are so deeply interwoven. With the film going to post-edits that I have no control over, it’s like when your kid goes to college. I’m just like, ”Alright kiddo, I don’t know who you are going to become, but I support you!”
CW: How have you felt your writing connect to the community around you?
r: In writing, there is something fascinating about affecting another person. Whatever you put down on paper, whether it’s this film, or I’ve written a bit of poetry; it’s fascinating the way it affects another person at different levels of closeness to you. It asks for its own connection. When someone listens to that, and pulls it into themselves, it’s special, its own magic. You get to learn to see different versions of self in other people.
There is a quote, that was a common greeting to people Indigenous to Southern Turtle Island, “I am another you” and replying with, “You are another me.” And, it feels like a call and response.
In making the movie, I have connected with so many people I would never have talked to with such depth and honesty. I believe that community needs to be multi-generational, a variety of people. I don’t think that you are supposed to get along and be friends with everyone you’re in community with, but you are still supposed to show up for each other and make whatever is happening happen together. To have so many people lovingly step into this project and return to the table, that is the creation of this story; it’s very precious to me. I am very thankful for it.
CW: What advice do you have for fellow artists interested in exploring the world of screenwriting?
r: The scariest part of anything is to start it, to do it, and believe it’s worth something. I don’t know if it’s really up to you whether or not people are entertained and want to make the movie! You don’t know what people are going to be into until you put it out there and are present with it. So many artists get trapped in their heads around concepts of value and sense of self-worth. I certainly have.
CW: What has been inspiring you lately?
r: Mountains! I rented a car when I was in Oakland and took a road trip through the Sierra Mountains. There are so many ways to be a mountain. There are so many ways to be this massive spire of rock and mineral, and all the things that inhabit you can be so different, yet you’re still this ancient thing. And it’s none of your business! You created this shape and it shapes the landscape, and the ecological environment shapes you as well. It’s just so humbling.
CW: What do arts and culture mean to you? Why does it matter?
r: Arts and culture are everything, they’re in everything. There is nothing without art. There is no sense of self without a sense of culture. It is so meshed with everything we are as living beings. It means being in reverence to the acts of creation and witnessing the deep roots of people’s cultures and the way culture shifts in real-time. These things are intrinsically a part of what it means to be alive to me and to participate in living.
CW: Anything else you want to add?
r: This is a queer story and every character occupies their own archetype of queerness. Most of the actors do, too! Art and nature and acts of self-creation are inherently tied to queerness.
To stay updated with revel: https://www.instagram.com/revelinflux/