I catch up with Will while he is in our shared home country, Ghana where he has been for the better part of the last year on new uncle duty and in research mode for his next project. He is in the post-production process of his second short film “ELEMENT” while also preparing his first feature film experience, co-writing alongside Jérémy Comte, the Oscar-nominated director. As you'll hear in Part 2, Will is now represented by LA based production studio Florence for commercials and music videos which has given him the opportunity to work with artist such as H.E.R and Billy Eilish.

Where to find Will?
www.wniava.com
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Vimeo
On YouTube
On Twitter
On Facebook

What's will listening to?
Classic Reggae
AmaPiano
Dave

What's will watching?
Memories of a Murder
In the Mood for Love
Uncut Gems
Good Time

Other topics of interest:
NAFTI Ghana
Concordia University - Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema
Black Magic Equipment
Red Digital Equipment
Ghanaian Footballers Jordan Ayew and André Ayew
Fauve Short Film
Solitary Dancer
Barry Jenkins
Jordan Peele
About Amapiano
Afrofuturism

Special Guest: Will Niava.

We're welcoming August with a doubleheader featuring Will Niava, an award winning Ivorian-Ghanaian film director based but not bound to Montréal, Canada. After his education in film production at the Concordia University in Quebec, Will directed a number of projects around the world--namely, four episodes of MTV Shuga, a fiction series in the Ivory Coast as well as “Violence Of The Lambs”, a music video released on NOWNESS from which he made his first short film “ZOO.” ZOO was selected at over 60 international film festivals of which 15 are Oscar qualifying. The film has since racked up over 10 awards. After its Vimeo Staff Picks release, ZOO is now available on the prestigious Criterion Collection.

I catch up with Will while he is in our shared home country, Ghana where he has been for the better part of the last year on new uncle duty and in research mode for his next project. He is in the post-production process of his second short film “ELEMENT” while also preparing his first feature film experience, co-writing alongside Jérémy Comte, the Oscar-nominated director. As you'll hear in Part 2, Will is now represented by Los Angeles based production studio Florence. for commercials and music videos which has given him the opportunity to work with artist such as H.E.R and Billy Eilish.

Where to find Will?
[www.wniava.com](www.wniava.com)
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Vimeo
On YouTube
On Twitter
On Facebook

What's will listening to?
Classic Reggae
AmaPiano
Dave

What's will watching?
Memories of a Murder
In the Mood for Love
Uncut Gems
Good Time

Other topics of interest:
NAFTI Ghana
Concordia University - Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema [
Black Magic Equipment
Red Digital Equipment
Ghanaian Footballers Jordan Ayew and André Ayew
Fauve Short Film
Solitary Dancer
Barry Jenkins
Jordan Peele
About Amapiano
Afrofuturism

Special Guest: Will Niava.

In preparation for this week's episode, I was excited to spend some time tuning my Francophone ears AND eyes watching episodes of African Woman 2.0, hosted by my guest, Aissata Sidibé N’Dia, president and founding member of Yelenba-Women in Action. The creation of Yelenba is the result of a collaborative decision to support, through concrete actions, African women and girls, offering them opportunities to improve their daily lives. In addition to her philanthropic pursuits, Aissata is also runs the popular Francophone platform www.afriquefemme.com.

Aissata holds an MBA from the University of Maryland in the United States and over 18 years of communications experience. She started her career at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) where she spent thirteen years in various positions in the Communication Department. At the end of 2015, her family relocated to Abidjan, where she worked as a Communication Expert, with the team responsible for the implementation of the Compact Program of the Ivory Coast of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).

Following her work with MCC, Aissata served as the West Africa Communication Manager at the African Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF), a Nairobi-based development institution that operates in agribusiness and renewable energies. This position allowed her to expand her network in sub-Saharan Africa and gain a better understanding of the challenges of small private sector businesses and the rural communities they support.

Speaking with Aissata was definitely a treat you'll not want to miss as we take a mini tour living, working and playing in Francophone Africa.

Where to find Aissata?
On LinkedIn
On Facebook
On Instagram
On YouTube
Yelenba on Instagram
www.yelenba.org

What's Aissata reading"
If the Black is not Capable of Standing... by Venance Konan
Half a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Other topics of interest:
On Bambara
Millennium Challenge Corporation
International Monetary Fund
African Enterprise Challenge Fund

Special Guest: Aissata Sidibe N’Dia.