Natasha Ofili’s Filmmaker Debut At Slamdance

Natasha Ofili is a Black Deaf actor and filmmaker who become one of the first Black Deaf actors to be animated on a TV show as well as one of the first Black Deaf actors to appear in a video game, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, where she plays Hailey Cooper. Now, Ofili is adding the title Filmmaker to her impressive resume. Ofili is making her filmmaker debut with The Multi, a short film that she wrote, produced and starred in “that tackles the impact of lifelong trauma and mental illness, from the perspective of the Black Deaf Female community.”

The Multi is approaching its U.S premiere at Slamdance, within the Slamdance Unstoppable showcase, which is a selection of “films made by filmmakers with visible and non-visible disabilities. Programmed exclusively by disabled artists, Slamdance Unstoppable aims to eliminate the prejudices and gate-keeping that have historically kept disabled filmmakers from being represented in the entertainment industry.” Ashley Eakin, a Disabled Writer-Director, will also be premiering her short film Roommates at Slamdance. Eakin was a part of Netflix’s Emerging Filmmaker Initiative and will release Forgive Us Our Trespasses on the streaming platform on February 17th. Eakin says, “[Slamdance Unstoppable] opens the door for other festivals to follow suit, and not only expand their understanding of our community but also enlighten audiences. It also gives creatives the legitimacy that we bring value to the entertainment industry and should be taken seriously as filmmakers.”

Ofili’s film, The Multi, made its world premiere at the BFI in London, England, back in December 2021. In 2009 Ofili experienced clinical depression, “I remember feeling worthless, I remember feeling that I did not want to be here anymore, I was done, I felt done. In 2009 I had announced that I needed help, I started going to therapy, all of that did help me, it was a two-year journey, and I am now able to talk about it.” Ofili mentioned that she does not have any shame talking about her depression and she realises that are a lot of people do not speak about their mental health, “there is a lack of conversation about our trauma, and I decided to include that in the script. We do not have enough of that on the screen. The Multi is inspired by my mental health.”

The film explores the world of an isolated Black Deaf woman, which is one of order, to keep a childhood trauma buried deep in her psyche. There is an unexpected turn of events that forces her to confront demons from her past. The Multi was created semi-remotely and had a majority Deaf cast and crew. They filmed between lockdowns in early 2021, the number of crew was limited to ensure Covid compliance, many key positions, including American Sign Language interpreters, joined through video conferencing.

Ofili was passionate about hiring a woman of colour, especially a Black Deaf woman, to direct The Multi. The director that was chosen was Storm Smith, forming a truly trailblazing pair. Smith is a Director, Producer & Diversity Inclusion Accessibility Lead at BBDO Los Angeles. Smith was the first Deaf woman to have been recruited by BBDO Worldwide. Emmy Nominated Producer Mikail Chowdhury was on the producing team, alongside Ofili. Lakishia Grant and Jonah Platt completed the cast of three. Michael Epstein was the Artistic Director, DJ Kurs was Associate Producer, and Matthew Pusti made the music. Ofili mentioned that they all had the same goals and trust, “we can all be successful together” says Ofili.

The team hired two ASL interpreters who were interpreting from Zoom for the entirety of the shoot. “Having two interpreters means there was access for everyone on set and virtually” said Ofili. The project had a hearing Director of Photography, Cooper Ulrich, that had not worked with anyone who was Deaf before. Ofili mentioned, “He was “in the space” and captured nuances and emotions beautifully.”

Ofili says to those who are thinking of hiring Deaf and Hard of Hearing talent, either behind or in front of that camera, to be “open-hearted, open-minded, and patient. I know it is scary because there is a lot of unknowns, but it benefits everyone, and the perspective from each person enhances the project. If you are hiring Deaf and Disabled people, you really are bringing different dimensions to what you are creating. I know in Hollywood there is a typical formula that has been used for a long time, which is fine, but sometimes we just need to start thinking outside the box and start taking big leaps, start hiring disabled people, and I think they will be very surprised — maybe even learn something and of course visa versa, everyone will be able to learn from each other.”

Other Disabled Filmmakers that have been selected to participate in Slamdance Unstoppable include Lily Drummond, Kyle Gibbins, Andrew Reid, Alaa Zabara, duo Steven Tanenbaum & Kristen Abate and Alessandra Lichtenfeld, among others. Drummond says, “Programs like Unstoppable are so needed within the film festival space, and it is exciting to be part of that change. It’s refreshing to see such a diverse group of filmmakers and storytellers come through and share their stories on a world stage, supported by festivals such as Slamdance. I hope my generation of filmmakers continue to push for diversity, inclusion and representation of all people and communities on screen.”

The Multi has been accepted into six film festivals so far, including Capital City Black Film Festival, Toronto Black Film Festival, Seattle Deaf Film Festival, LA Black Film Festival and will be showing at Slamdance on January 29th at 2 pm EST, followed by a Q&A.