Meet Prince Among Slaves' Director Andrea Kalin
1. After being the recipient of more than thirty esteemed awards including two Gracies, four CINES and most recently the 2004 Eric Barnauw Award, what are your expectations for the documentary, Prince Among Slaves?
In all of my documentaries, especially those centered on historical events, I strive to create a program that is both credible and compelling. Prince Among Slaves is an exciting and daunting project because of the complexity of Ibrahima Abdul Rahman’s life, and as a filmmaker there is the challenge of making history come alive—which is no small feat considering the historical details necessary. I’m confident that Prince Among Slaves will attract and embrace a very large audience. Awards are secondary to audience reception—though I’m certainly not turning away any prizes, awards or recognition from my peers in TV and film.
2. In what way do you believe that the production of this documentary will change lives?
Ideally you want your audience to absorb the key points that shaped Ibrahima Abdul Rahman’s life: the world of the African prince, his capture, his enslavement in America, and how he achieved his freedom. You want your audience to have an understanding of the sub-Saharan African Muslim culture, ante-bellum American slavery, the Abolitionist and Colonization movements and the ensuing tension and divisiveness that led to America’s Civil War. In the end, I hope that those who watch this documentary will find some aspect of themselves resonating on the screen, and as result will enhance their understanding and attitude towards our subject.
3. Has the production of this documentary changed you in any way?
Whenever I take on a project I’m always amazed at how much I do not know. Recently my staff and I attended a lecture by Dr. Sylviane Diouf ,author of Servants of Allah. Afterwards I sent this quote from Eckhart to my Spark staff: “Be willing to be a beginner every single morning.” I can’t begin to share with you the breath and width of information that I’ve been exposed to from meetings with Alex, Michael, books, and other sources. It can be overwhelming at times, and I ask myself: Will I be able to comprehend, condense, and mediate all of these new ideas and concepts in a short period of time? Meeting that challenging question will make a definite imprint on your life. On the other hand, I feel fortunate that I have the kind of life-work (some would say obsession) that introduces me to a wide range of subjects that call for a different way of thinking, seeing, hearing, and ultimately, unique approaches to production.
4. What do you hope to accomplish by producing and directing this documentary?
This project offers an exciting opportunity to revisit 19th century America in the telling of one person’s harrowing and heroic transformation from West African prince to plantation slave and eventually to emancipated man. True to the documentary genre we will contextualize the story’s historic facts and liven its telling by featuring sharp intellectual insights from an esteemed set of historians, writers and social commentators. In its visualization, I hope to introduce novel cinematic techniques and computer- generated graphics or CGI that will keep an audience of all ages and interests rapt. Respectfully, I will refrain from any further divulgences at this time since I have to hold onto some production secrets, she says with a smile.
5. Has this documentary helped you to understand yourself better?
Life is lived as a series of conversations. We are instructed by stories that extend and accumulate over a lifetime. I’ve always been drawn to good stories and that’s why I eventually became a documentary filmmaker. In taking on this film I‘ve found truer meaning in the axiom that one cannot afford a disconnect between one’s actions and values.
6. Do you have anything in common with the main character of the documentary?
A traditional value drawn from my own faith is that of “Hakarot Hatov”, which means to focus on the positive and to find the lessons in each experience, no matter how difficult. It’s in those moments, when you want to quit, but don’t that you learn something about yourself that nobody can ever take away. And it’s when you choose to press on, you discover what you’re made of, even before the world out there has judged you successful, prosperous, or important, you’ve taken your own measure. Ibrahima Abdul Rahman was intelligent, organized, disciplined, self-confident, and true to his family, culture and religion. I can only hope that I hold and practice those personal attributes in my daily life.
7. What are the foreseen challenges in making this documentary?
Because this is a historical documentary project, that involves dramatic reenactments, there is a lot of time and effort put into location scouting, casting, set design, costuming, props, etc. Shooting on location always has its variables that pop up at the worst times. There will be the typical trials and tribulations of budget and time constraints, but my chief concern will be to present this story in way that is “illuminating” beyond the techniques of cinematic lighting.
8. What is your impression of the individuals you have met during the production of this documentary and can anyone exceptional come to mind?
Alex Kronemer and Michael Wolfe have been the ideal collaborators. They both aim high, are driven by passion and have the courage to tell important stories. Ultimately, what we will hang onto as a team is not just what ends up on the screen but the piece of ourselves we found while making it.
9. What is your impression of the research and facts that you have come across throughout this documentary and can anything significant stand out?
My research, in all of its varied forms, has led me to understand the rich culture of sub-Saharan Muslim peoples. Along with that comes a deeper appreciation of Islam as the guiding force for those ethnic groups and nations. One thing that lingers in my mind is the startling contrast between slavery practices in the African Muslim states as opposed to those in North America. When I look at the engravings of the instruments of slavery: chains, whips, and yokes, as well as the documents: bills of sale, advertisements, passes, it chills my soul, but I keep digging because it is an essential part of the research. I’m inspired by some of the letters written in Arabic because even if you can’t read them, there is a beauty in the calligraphy, and the thought that some of these letters were used to help free someone from slavery increases their importance.
10. How is this documentary similar to Partners of the Heart?
As Director and Producer of the documentary Partners of the Heart, I can’t help but draw some comparisons between the two projects. Both films are tributes to men and the values that sustained them: courage, tenacity, faith, honor and dignity. What’s remarkable is how the projects differ in one very important aspect; despite an age difference of 250 years, Ibrahimas’ personal story is actually more accessible than was Thomas’!! Unity Productions has already identified a wealth of resources capable of turning this into a historically accurate, dramatic film. Newspaper articles, letters and diaries, recorded interviews, paintings, etchings are on hand for the project.
Overall, both Vivien Thomas and Ibrahima Abdul Rahman are both men who transcended their times and in the telling of their life stories teach not just history but humanity.
11. In an interview about the documentary, Partners of Heart, you said, “In telling this story," "I felt tested in some way. There were times it would have been easier to quit. A lot of people had died, and as the production dragged on, I felt like I was losing my living storytellers. That saddened me. I felt like I got to the story too late." Have you had similar feelings about the documentary, Prince Among Slaves?
Since Partners of the Heart took place in the recent past, the individuals who passed had an immediate impact on all us. It felt like a relative—a distant relative, but a relative nonetheless—had died just before your last visit. I’m at the beginning stages of this journey, this partnership with Ibrahima Abdul Rahman, and I’m sure there will be the usual production struggles, but at the moment I’m full of creative energy for the task ahead.
12. You also mentioned that a scholarship funded by the GlaxoSmithKline in the memory of Vivien Thomas was something that had made you very proud. Do you believe that a scholarship similar to this would be accessible or promoted in memory of Abdul?
It would be a great honor, if as result of the documentary a scholarship, grant, or endowment were established in Ibrahima Abdul Rahman’s name in Africa and the United Stated. Further it would be a fitting tribute to his legacy which will soon be known to many as not only an African story, nor just an American story, but OUR story.