On October 30, Philadelphia-based writer/actor Yao Nunoo and director Deron Albright had their hometown premiere of the film The Destiny of Lesser Animals as a part of the Philadelphia Film Festival. I talked with both filmmakers about the process of making this contemporary epic and their hopes for the future of Philadelphia’s film community. The film screens again on Thursday, November 3.

In 2004, Deron was casting a short film and met with Yao who responded to an audition notice. They met at the Llanerch Diner in Upper Darby where Yao was the first to audition and ultimately, “…the only one I really needed to!” says Deron. And thus a partnership was born.

Fast-forward to 2007, Yao was working on crime drama script for a screenwriting class at UPenn. However, he was struggling with its narrative structure, which at the time was set in Philadelphia. His professor and mentor Mark Rosenthal suggested that he consider setting the film in Ghana, where Yao was born. He ran into Deron that same day, over drinks at Gojjo in West Philly, and mentioned the idea to him. They decided that day to make the film together.

That title The Destiny of Lesser Animals is derived from a Ghanaian proverb ‘Sibo ne kra, Dabo ne kra,’ which can be loosely translated as, “the destiny of the leopard is different than the destiny of lesser animals,” says Yao. “…For me, it's another way of saying ‘know thyself.’ Examining one's own path in life and discovering that what makes one important may not always be the thing one had always imagined.”

Deron received his MFA in film from Temple University in 1998. His short narrative The Legend of Black Tom premiered in 2005. The Destiny of Lesser Animals is his first feature film.  Deron has been on the faculty of Saint Josephs University since 2002. Yao moved to the United States to attend college and later became an actor when he moved to Philadelphia. He eventually attended the University of Pennsylvania and graduated with a degree in Film Studies.

The Destiny of Lesser Animals took a total of four years to complete. Yao finished the script in 2007, Deron moved to Ghana in the summer of 2008, principal photography took place in 2009. There was additional photography and scoring of the film in 2010, and the film premiered in New York in April 2011. The October 30 screening is its Philadelphia premiere.

While the majority of the film was shot on location in Ghana, (in Accra and Cape Coast) a few scenes were shot in Philadelphia focusing on the main character’s (Boniface, played by Yao) life in the United States.

“The idea of ‘place’ is very important to me in creating work—so the details of everyday life, no matter where it is that I live, play a large role in developing ideas, selecting images, etcetera,” says Deron.

“There is a lot of visual material here that I don't see in many places elsewhere,” says Yao. “There is a real sense of community and humanity, which makes it really easy for artistic expression and representation… Philly was the first city I moved to where I did not get lost. I discovered the huge immigrant community in West Philly, and the beautiful trolleys, and slowly the Sixers, and the Eagles became a religion. There has been no turning back. Philly has become my second home and I feel I have some real immutable roots.”

Once the dust settles on The Destiny of Lesser Animals, both filmmakers hope to get back into making new work. Yao is developing a script with acclaimed Ghanaian poet Nii Ayikwei Parkes, and Deron is developing a new screenplay called Invisible Son about the plight of an immigrant living in Philadelphia. Deron is also working on two video projects with community partners concerning gun violence in the city that will begin production in early 2012.

Watch the trailer here.

The Destiny of Lesser Animals

Directed by Deron Albright, Ghana/USA, 89 min.

Thursday, November 3 

7:30 p.m.

Ritz East B

125 S. 2nd Street

Philadelphia, PA

Insider fact: I worked as an associate producer for The Destiny of Lesser Animals!