A fresh voice in filmmaking, Samuel Yaw Adjaye’s new short ‘Akwaaba’ is his welcome home to Ghana, a place he’d never been. This 21-year-old talent was driven to explore his feelings about the country through a diasporic and dual heritage lens. “Straddling the worlds of being Black, British, Ghanaian, Italian, a son, a brother, an artist, a human, I wanted to create a sense of nostalgia for memories that are yet to be encountered through a journey of self-exploration,” Adjaye says.

Shot mainly on Super 8mm film, the hazy movie sees three young men navigating Accra’s city streets, lush coastal landscapes and lapping waves, all finely turned out in casual looks by Ozwald Boateng. Their adventures are intertwined with archive images and animations reminding us of the country’s route to independence as well as everyday scenes of Black Star flag-waving football fans, coconut stall owners, boat builders and skateboarders.

These fragments, like all of the elements that make up one’s identity and inner emotional world, add up to a compelling whole that allows the viewer to reflect on their own sense of self. “I describe 'Akwaaba' as an experimental documentary or an audio-visual experience. It's unorthodox. This film birthed itself by virtue of self-expression and my first exposure to the heart of Africa, Ghana,” he adds.

Born in east London, Adjaye grew up making home movies and studied digital design at the BRIT School. He went on to set up swrv.studios and his work now blends design, animation and cinematography on projects for artists, musicians and brands. Looking forward, he has big plans. “I want to host exhibitions, screenings, and launch global campaigns. One day I hope for swrv.studios to become a production house for like-minded creatives who want to fight against the grain with me.”