Afrofuturism, Black Resistance, and the Caribbean Dystopian Narrative in Sci-Fi Cinema: An Interview with ‘Brown Girl Begins’ Director Sharon Lewis during Black Futures Month

Words and Interview by Genice Phillips 

In February 2015, the Movement for Black Lives, a collective of black organizations (comprised of the Black Lives Matter movement) launched Black Futures Month, a month-long observance that reimagines the black experience and perspective in new terms and new worlds. In tandem with (and not to overshadow) Black History Month, Black Futures Month evolves from the philosophies of Afrofuturism and Pan-Africanism, meant to push the reflections of black history, black culture, and black memory into spaces of beyond.   

Later that same year, Caribbean-Canadian actress, director, and screenwriter Sharon Lewis would run a successful crowdfunding campaign to finance and produce the first-ever Caribbean-Canadian Afrofuturist sci-fi film, Brown Girl Begins. Inspired by the 1998 novel, Brown Girl in the Ring, written by acclaimed speculative fiction writer Nalo Hopkinson, Brown Girl Begins is a coming-of-age feature centered around a young, black Caribbean woman (Ti-Jeanne) in a post-apocalyptic Toronto. As a priestess, she must conjure and resurrect ancient Caribbean spirits and decide between saving her lover (Tony) or her impoverished, exiled community.

With the recent release of the immaculate Marvel superhero film, Black Panther, a fervent excitement and celebration has sprung forth from African diasporic communities worldwide, not only summoning more storytelling that originates from the distinct, rich cultures of the diaspora, but showing a long-overlooked and often ignored viability of black cultural representation in film.

Particularly for the Caribbean and its diaspora, stories are ripe and overflowing in literature and cinema, especially in the fantasy and sci-fi genre, but have yet to be fully embraced in the mainstream. Notably, Caribbean-born and Caribbean-descent actors were well-represented (Guyanese-born Letitia Wright and Tobagonian Winston Duke, among others) in the Afrofuturist Black Panther, thus adding to the stew of conversations on shaping a futuristic worldview that includes black people from all realities. 

As a Caribbean dystopian narrative rooted in folklore, mysticism, and fantasy, Brown Girl Begins signals the role of black people in our human evolution, addressing marginalizations and injustices while adding to the black superhero/superheroine lexicon. 

More on these topics in which Brown Girl Begins imbues, POTENT spoke with the director of the film, Sharon Lewis.

POTENT: Although the official release of Brown Girl Begins was last year, you are continuing to promote and distribute the film during Black History Month and under the banner of Black Futures Month. What inspired you to do the tour and what are you most excited to accomplish? 

SL: One of the reasons we decided to self-distribute because we wanted to brand the film ourselves. It was integral to the launch of the film that we do it under the branding of Black Futures Month in Black History Month so that we are offering an alternative image to the ones that you see constantly in Black history, which are visions of us oppressed and enslaved, not creators of our own destiny. And as important as that is – to know our past – it is vital to see that we exist in the future. That we are part of the future. That we are part of the next generation. Not just part of it, but we’re leading it. To me, that’s revolutionary.

But we’re going on tour across Canada, Brooklyn, and L.A. [Los Angeles]. We’re going to be in Brooklyn which is phenomenal. It’s part of the BAMcinématek program and the Caribbean Film Academy [CaFa] is putting it on, which means we get to see it with a Caribbean audience and that’s exciting for us. We’ve [also] been invited to go to St. Croix. We’re doing [the tour] across Canada – Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, and then in the United States – we’re doing Brooklyn, and Los Angeles, and Houston. And then we’d also like to do a Caribbean tour – Jamaica, Trinidad, the Virgin Islands. 

POTENT: How does Brown Girl Begins speak to communities of color as far as representation?

SL: To see a film, where a black woman is the person leading her community, out of those abysmal conditions is revolutionary. We rarely get to see it. I don’t use that term ‘revolutionary’ lightly because I really think we need revolutionary images to combat the type of stereotypes we see constantly of us not being creators of our own communities.

And the actual experience of making this film…I have worked in this industry for over 25 years, and the only time I’ve experienced that was the first film I did as an actor. It was called ”Rude” and it went to Cannes Film Festival and it was above the line – black producers, [black] director, and [black] cast. Fast forward 25 years later, the only other time I’ve ever really experienced that is directing my own film. That experience – the reason that it’s profound as an artist – is because you look around and there’s no explaining or articulating of your Caribbeanness that has to happen. So then you can just focus on the art.

POTENT: How have you come to define the term “Afrofuturism” and how do you feel it has shifted over time? Especially within pop culture (fashion, music, technology, etc.).

SL: Afrofuturism, it started out as much more a political movement and political ideology, and ‘Bringing Africa to America’ and ‘Back to Africa,’ and the idea that ‘Africa is the future.’ For me, what Afrofuturism means is, because I’m here in the West, my future is here. And that we are the future where we are. So Black people are the future, in the sense that we’re going to grow, and thrive, and engage, and rise in power.

For me, it’s a political term, but also a living day, present day term. If we’re looking forward and looking to see ourselves placed here, I think that’s very different than in the 60’s and 70’s when there was a rise in Afrofuturism where maybe going back to Africa was the answer. Or bringing African ideologies here [the West] was the answer. But I’m once removed. I’m from the Caribbean so I‘m already once removed. And the film does that. And so my idea was to incorporate Caribbean ideologies and culture and traditions along with Western culture and traditions.

POTENT: Are there any Caribbean filmmakers that you look up to or inspired by that have delved into the sci-fi genre? I feel like that hasn’t been explored enough [Caribbean Sci-Fi and Fantasy films].

SL: The filmmakers that I know, like Vashti Anderson [Moko Jumbie], Ian Harnarine [Doubles with Slight Pepper], those films tend to be more cultural than sci-fi. And the sci-fi film that actually inspired me came from Africa. I found much more sci-fi in Africa than I had coming out of the Caribbean. 

POTENT: The film hits on themes of Afro-Caribbean spirituality and drawing on our folktales and mythology. How does ‘Brown Girl’ continue that cultural legacy, while still honoring those traditions of Caribbean storytelling? 

SL: Unlike typical science fiction film or fantasy film, where spirit is being portrayed as some kind of ghostly or otherworldly entity, in the film they are portrayed much like they are in Carnival. As people who walk amongst us. You don’t have to go through a priest to reach a spirit. You can call on the spirit yourself as long as you know the proper rituals and respect that you need to pay to those spirits. So I hope that film pays some homage to that and honors those traditions of our spirits are those to call on. And unlike very Judeo-Christian Gods, our spirits are very human-like. They get jealous, they are sometimes scary, sometimes authoritative. They like to eat and drink and carry on. I try to give them a bit of humanness in the film.

POTENT: The film and the book, is all set in Toronto. And I think the location gives context to the characters’ experiences and their identities as Caribbean people because they’re part of the diaspora community but also of a larger multicultural community and society. Can you talk about those dimensions in relation to these characters and why that is important.

SL: In the book, what Nalo did so well, was portray the multicultural community in Toronto, in particular. She had French-Canadian characters, First Nation characters, obviously had Caribbean characters, Eastern-European characters, etc. What I did [in the film], was really focus on the Caribbean community. So in the film, it really is Caribbean people that save the world. And the reason I did that was partly budget, but… also partly because in the dystopian world, they are dealing without water, electricity, proper transportation, proper governance and they’re isolated from the mainland. And to me, that can be the core areas of island culture. So it’s similar to island culture, this dystopia that’s portrayed in the film. It’s very similar to the struggles I’ve seen in poor parts of the Caribbean. Obviously there are very wealthy parts of the Caribbean and we have a thriving culture, fashion, music, society, but they are poor parts. And what’s most impressed me, as a kid going home to Jamaica, going home to Trinidad [my Father’s Trinidadian, my mother’s Jamaican] is the ingenuity and survival instincts of those who are dealt such a harsh hand. And so I wanted to show that survival instinct in the film. Because that what I saw in Nalo’s book.

For example, Mami (Shakura S’Aida) is living in this dystopian Toronto, but all of the poor have been segregated to an island, off the mainland of Toronto. And here Mami has a farm and she is thriving because she knows how to grow things, she knows how to farm. She knows how to call on the ancestral spirits. She knows about herbal healing, not just depending on Western pharmaceuticals. It makes sense why Caribbean people are thriving and able to survive under such extreme circumstances. And it was important for me to show the strength of Caribbean people and particularly this young Caribbean-Canadian woman, who’s torn between… she just wants to be in love with her boyfriend Tony! She’s a teenager and wants to live that sort of Western life. But she bears all of the responsibilities of being Caribbean and being a priestess and having to save her community. And in the end, she has to make that choice as to whether she is willing to take that responsibility.

POTENT: I remember during the Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign, your team branded shirts with the slogan “Brown Girl Movement” and I noticed that in your recent campaign and tour, it’s transitioned to “The Future is Her.” Was that purposefully changed to broaden your targeted audience, while continuing to center on black female voices?

SL: When we were crowdfunding, “Brown Girl Movement” made sense; it’s what we were all moving toward. And not just the film, but the idea that we should tell the story and that we [women] belong in the sci-fi genre. And I’m not just saying black people. Black Women.

You know it’s amazing that Black Panther’s coming out and I’m thrilled with that and I can’t wait to see it. But I’m also really thrilled that Ava Duvernay is directing “A Wrinkle in Time.” There’s a black woman who’s directing a sci-fi film with a young black girl as the lead. And I think that for me, that’s what the “Brown Girl Movement” was all about.

But we did the film, and like any piece of art, it changes you and shifts and grows, and here we are 2 years later after the film has been made, and there’s all of this stuff about #MeToo, and the need for diversity and the exclusion and inclusion of black women in this women’s movement. So the #TheFutureisHer – it is for us, focused on this young black woman in the film. Visually, the hashtag is for the film. If you’re seeing the film, you get it. But it’s also for women as a whole. We’re part of a larger movement.

POTENT: So we’re seeing dystopian and speculative fiction resonating within American society, given our disturbing political climate and social realities during this Trump presidency as well as a hypervigilant, feckless government. Do you view Nalo’s book and your film as a narrative of the resistance, challenging the abnormal and critiquing the racist policies/beliefs that have always been embedded in our political institutions and representatives?

SL: Our film takes place in 2049 and it doesn’t actually feel that futuristic because of the current climate. There’s segregation between the rich and poor [in the film and book] which is happening now…The idea that the wealthy would flee and build a wall, is eerily being echoed by the current president, in terms of building a wall. I think that this film and Nalo’s book is more than timely. Is it part of the resistance narrative? I would say yes. If it’s even just on the level where you see yourself reflected in the future as powerful. That’s aspiring to go, “Ok, I have the power within me to make the change to my circumstances.” Honestly, that’s the first step. Is actually believing that you matter. That’s the hashtag, #BlackLivesMatter. That’s the first step of actually believing and getting over this idea that you don’t matter, which we’re told all the time and in various ways. So it’s imperative.

This interview was condensed and edited for clarity. 

Brown Girl Begins is an Afrofuturist/Caribbean feature film directed by Sharon Lewis and inspired by Nalo Hopkinson’s award winning book, “Brown Girl in the Ring”. The film had its world premiere at Urbanworld in New York and its Canadian premiere in Montreal at the Montreal International Black Film Festival. For more information on the Black Girl Begins Black Futures Month Tour, visit their website or social media.