A fable that finds its roots in the West African nation of Ghana, Kwaku Ananse, is the basis of a new movie that is currently in pre-production and raising funds.


Kwaku Ananse is an intensely personal project which draws upon the rich mythology of Ghana. The short film combines semi-autobiographical elements with the tale of Kwaku Ananse, a trickster in West African stories who appears as both spider and man. Ananse teaches us that there are two sides to everything and everyone. To explore this theme of doubleness, a fable of Kwaku Ananse is combined with the story of a young outsider named Nan Kronhwea attending her estranged father's funeral. Nan's father led two separate lives with two wives and two families - one in Ghana, one in the United States. Nan's ambivalence about her father's double life is a reflection of a broader truth about the nature of our personal relationships.


Ghanaian actress and model MaameYaa Boafo-Abiah is one of the lead actors in the film.


Director Akosua Adoma Owusu was selected as one of Art Forum's Top 10 artists. Producer Lisa Cortes is an Academy Award winning producer with a distinguished career in the film and music business. Advising Producer Michelle-anne M. Small is the producer of Gun Hill Road, nominated for the Sundance Grand Jury Prize in 2011. Cinematographer Pedro Gonzalez-Rubio is an internationally acclaimed Mexican filmmaker whose first film, the documentary Toro Negro, was produced by Alejandro Gonzalez-Iñarritu (Amores Perros, Babel, 21 Grams).


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