Dreaming Whilst Black is a new mini comedy series from 4Quarter Films, a London based creative production company, specializing in the creation of narrative-led commercial and fiction content.
The series, created by the award-winning filmmaker Adjani Salmon, tells the story of a young, passionate, yet naive filmmaker, Kwabena, who struggles to navigate between his dreams and reality. Dissatisfied with his work, Kwabena risks everything in order to make his dreams come true. As he makes his break out short film, he struggles to balance work, friends and his relationship. Inevitably, Kwabena has to ask himself what is he willing to sacrifice for his dreams and are these sacrifices worthwhile.
Like many creatives, I can relate to many of the challenges Salmon’s character has in advancing his career. The ambition to become the successful filmmaker is a struggle, compounded by the pressure from his family to gain financial stability, not to mention the battle with comparisons drawn with relatives and friends. The show manages brilliantly to keep the audience on the side of Kwabena, leaving you championing his professional success and his ability to have an overall fulfilling life.
Both subtle and overt references to the inequalities and discriminatory practices many people of color face, particularly when seeking work, is embedded in the storyline. Episode 2 entitled’ the Great British Race off’ cleverly addresses this and I’m sure this episode alone will leave some viewers reflecting on their ‘podium experience’ or their encounter with the proverbial career glass ceiling.
The issue of racism is addressed but isn’t over-engineered to highlight obvious points or jeopardize the entertainment value. This leaves its surprisingly short episodes as very light-hearted, humorous, thought-provoking and overall entertaining pieces of work. The success is that it still addresses serious and important issues regarding race and how particularly black creatives in the UK pursue their careers in what is still a broadly white middle-class male-run industry with institutionally racist hurdles.
4Quarter Films subscribes to the mantra of “Engaging your Imagination.” I think Dreaming Whilst Black both engages and leaves you to imagine how realistic Kwabena’s experience really is. I’m highly respectful of Salmon and his co-producers Natasha Jatania, Laura Seixas and Maximilian Evans. I’m also encouraged to follow the progress of 4Quarter Films as this production, available to view online, is more entertaining and relatable than a lot of comedy productions on terrestrial television.
Watch the series: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwsFTlsZvv2GpfIb5loBLVw
Movie Rating: 4 stars.
Movie Rating Guide
1 Star = Unwatchable
2 Stars = Cannot Recommend
3 Stars = Great for the Fans
4 Stars = A Solid Movie
5 Stars = Must Own (DVD/Stream Download)
About Author
