Today we’d like to introduce you to Agazi Desta.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Agazi. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I am a first-generation Ethiopian-American writer and director from Boston. I am a son of Ethiopian immigrant refugees from the Tigray region of Ethiopia, and come from a hardworking and resilient community/neighborhood. Although I was raised in an American city, I feel that my identity has always been at the crossroads of both my African and Black roots.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always held a creative footprint throughout my life, but I can traceback my interest in film through my passion in reading classic novels, writing scripts, and no doubt, watching films growing up. I’m looking to find inspiration any chance that I get, so listening to Hip-Hop (a lot of Hip Hop), R&B, and Caribbean/Dancehall music are not far from my interests either. Although I studied Literature as my primary focus while I was in college, I subconsciously always felt drawn to a career in screenwriting and filmmaking. My english studies, in this way, easily lend itself to a calling in that. After some time abroad, researching, studying, and ultimately honing in on a career in filmmaking, I had the chance to enroll at the School of Cinematic Arts back at USC.
So far, I have written and directed dramatic short films: “The Bread Winner” (2017) which has humbly made its rounds in the festival market just last year ; “Waves” (2020), which is currently in the festival market right no (so please peep when you can, and I’ll share some info about that hopefully later here), and my thesis film “Clothesline” which is currently in its post-production phase. As a student, I was a George Lucas scholar, and I also collaborated on a feature called “Voodoo Macbeth” as a co-writer and co-director, which accounts the controversial success story of an all-black cast of “Macbeth” in the 1930’s Harlem Depression era.
I absolutely love novels to film/T.V. adaptations so that’s an avenue I’m closely exploring at the moment. As cliche as it sounds, I honestly feel that my passion for film is the only real chance for me to share a perspective on life- my creative interests, those around me, and of whom we haven’t had a chance to see yet.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Nah, definitely not lol, especially given the craziness of this year (the wake of the quarantine lifestyle and racial injustices against our people), so I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk about the challenges that creatives face on the day to day even outside of these circumstances. At the forefront, we’re up late working on scripts until the end of the night, editing, and re-editing our films, and then we aim to muscle either another project or we’re back to the writing until we pass out lol. Sometimes my creativity flows naturally, and other days, it’s just for the birds. Depends on which kind of day I’m having.
You know, “a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor” so I try to keep that in mind every day.
Please tell us about DestaNation Pictures.
Although we’re in the works of moving “DestaNation Pictures” in the right direction, we’re branding as a creative production company to promote underdog, gritty, and surreal stories about the journey of ourselves. My hope is that our content reflects the authentic narratives of people across genres and that we can create avenues namely for people of color and diverse voices to showcase what they can do with whatever platform they have to work with. Of course, we’re not limited to just that and aim to serve great content regardless, but really our focus is to help our people navigate themselves in an industry that is already tough to do so.
At the moment, it’s a work in progress. Stay tuned as we cross that bridge. In the meantime, feel free to hit me up or catch me on Instagram or Facebook on the contact page if you want to learn more!
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
You know, I’m still working on getting there, but if there’s anything I can say at this point, I think it’s important to stay resilient, so I try to stay committed to my craft every day. Not all days are going to work in your favor, and not all people are going to be there in the trenches with you, so I try to navigate the areas of my life where I can put my most honest foot forward. Simple things like try to stay healthier, read more, and think better. All those things can come a long way when you’re working long hours trying to find the right rhythm to your script, and most definitely in the other areas of the filmmaking world). I also try to remember the ways I like to be inspired (whether it’s reading, music, or watching shows/movies), so I can keep tuning into those
There’s a lot of highs and lows in this business, so I’m learning how to balance it all and stay resilient. Always share your work because you never know who might need it or who it will inspire,/ Work smart, and find your mental balance. At the end of the day, we got to remind ourselves that not everything is going to be perfect or made for a perfect crowd. As much as we want to give in to our shortcomings, we have more strength than we think, more at stake than we feel, and more gifts to give than to hide.
I’ll clue you in more as I go.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 617-99-7732
- Email: adesta@usc/edu/ahd.
[email protected] - Instagram: adestahh
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/agazi.desta/
- Waves Film Website: https://www.
wavesmovie.com
Image Credit:
Raman Chokar & Zoe Salnave
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