Author: The Reel Women

I came close to death in 2018 then after life saving surgery wrote my comedy series in recovery, which was then selected for development in the Berlinale Talent Lab.

I fell in love with moving image whilst doing visuals and music videos as part of Manchester’s (UK) club culture. When realised I could use my art skills to tell stories that’s when I became an animation filmmaker. I’ve worked in Poetry Film, Documentary, Narrative and Comedy!

• Where can people find out more about you on social media? What is next for you in your career?

You can find me on Instagram @officiallylogan, my upcoming series: @thebluelabseries

What’s next is my series, The Blue Labyrinth-a continuation story from my first movie. 

I don’t collect anything, however, I am a movie nerd. I have been known to watch Sherlock Holmes and king Arthur when I need inspiration. LOL

1. My advice would be to stay true to who you are. Don’t allow anyone to cause you to question what you believe, what you see and what you’re worth.  I’ve learned that as women in any authoritative role, you will be tested and tried in ways that am man wouldn’t.  It’s up to you to know who you are and move accordingly.

My first movie premiered at NBC Studios at Rockefeller Center. Honestly, making that movie was such a stretch for me.  I literally got on the job training as a writer, director, editor and one of the stars of the movie.  For me, it pushed me to go beyond what I thought I could do and showed me that I am are more than what meets the eye.

I don’t necessarily have a large concern for the future.  The way my brain works (always in the future), I try to keep myself in the now.  We can try to plan but God and life always have a way of letting you know who’s really in control. So, I guess my biggest concern would be “Akilah remain in the present and let the future handle itself.”

A defining moment in my life was when I published my first monologue book for actors.  Up until that point, I felt like I wasn’t doing enough in my career path. As if to say, I was still searching for my place in the industry.  Once I finished my first book, it turned into 3, which turned into a monologue showcase, a play, a movie and now a series.  I believe that every piece of art that was embedded in me finally began to take shape.  They’re now sold on Amazon.

Well, I’ve been in the industry in some shape or form throughout my life.  I’ve been a makeup artist since 2008, trained as a dancer for a good portion of my life and did some acting. You can say that being an entertainer was always a part of me.

I’m not very active on social media, but I do use facebook (https://www.facebook.com/giulia.corda.378/) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/giugliett500/). I am really proud of the project I’m currently working on. With a dear friend of mine, a visionary and eclectic writer/director named Federica Cellini, I’m adapting a short story into a feature film. The story was written by a writer we deeply admire, Jhumpa Lahiri (a Pulitzer prize winning author), and is called The Boundary. (https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/01/29/the-boundary) It is an adaption and also expansion process, which so far has been challenging and inspiring at the same time. I look forward to getting to the screenwriting phase, the one that I enjoy the most.