Since being hailed by Screen Daily as one of their ‘Stars of Tomorrow’ back in 2021 after his breakout short film Princess, Edem Kelman has gone on to direct in television with Hollyoaks, but returns to our favourite medium with Terence, and now has a BAFTA nomination for Best British Short Film to show for it. The film was selected for the BAFTA-qualifying Bolton International Film Festival and Edinburgh International Film Festival, as well as the Academy Award-qualifying Kortfilmfestival Leuven, and saw the filmmaker reunite with producer Noah Reich of Two By Two Productions.
Kelman’s drama about a security guard with a special gift, who quietly and earnestly goes about healing people in his community, sucks you in from the start. Who is this jolly fellow that everyone seems to know and respect while he works his patch on a bustling London street? The regard shown to him by his community is compelling enough… then we see his power to heal them. While many might consider him a hero, his abilities have caused division in his own family, a rupture that even someone with his gift struggles to heal. Edem talks to us about the real-life inspiration for the character, the magic his casting of non-actors with lead Terence Nzaji Egnie produced, how his small production team made the most of London on a shoestring budget, and the importance of telling stories that reflect and recognise the version of the UK experienced by the African diaspora.
For the first generation it’s about survival and the second generation tells the stories. I am part of that generation now who is eager to tell their stories, to look at how we live and share that in all of its glory, humour, tragedy and spiritually. There are so many stories to be told.
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