Best known as a fast-rising producer with focus on diversity, Nigeria-born Londoner Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor made her breakout out in 2019 with “Blue Story,” Rapman’s musical crime drama that smashed box office records, and followed this in 2021 with Aml Ameen’s rom-com “Boxing Day,” the U.K.’s first all-Black Christmas movie.
Despite having numerous projects in the pipeline through her Joi Productions banner, including “Animol.” the directorial debut of Emmy-nominated “Adolescence” star Ashley Walter, Gharoro-Akpojotor has now taken her own turn in the director’s chair for “Dreamers,” which she also wrote.
The film, which first bowed in London and has just had in U.K. premiere at the BFI London Film Festival, is a queer romance set within a British immigration center following two Nigerian asylum seekers who find love while battling the system and dreaming of a new life beyond confinement. As Gharoro-Akpojotor — who herself claimed asylum based on her sexuality — notes, “Dreamers” is deeply personal connections. It’s also landing in U.K. and Irish cinemas in December, with We Are Parable having acquired rights.
Speaking to Variety, the filmmaker discusses making the leap from producer to director, making films that feel commercial but ask audiences “tough questions,” and the film she’s producing which she describes as like a London version of “The Goonies,” this time set in Hackney.
Where did “Dreamers” come from? I understand it has a personal connection?
It is loosely based on my own life. I was also an asylum seeker under my sexuality. And for me, when I was going through that process, I just remember at the time that you really get stripped of who you are. So I wanted to tell a story about actual women and their relationships. And for me, it was my friends that really kept me going. So I also wanted to do something about that as well, and to highlight the ridiculousness of the system. The rules have changed now, but at the time, when I was 25, you had to prove that you were gay. And it’s like, how do you prove that you’re gay? What does that even mean or look like?
I feel like every film about immigration comes out at a particuarly poignant time, but right now, given what’s going on in the U.S. and the U.K. and across the world, it couldn’t be more important
I think you’re right, now more than ever. Whenever I look at the news in any shape or form, it’s never about the immigrants themselves. It’s about everyone. It’s about the hatred towards them. It’s about the government making up these rules and policies. This film is meant to be about one woman who’s come through. This is her story of what was happening to her. And we never talk about that part of things. It’s the humanization of reminding people that immigrants are people as well.
It’s easy for people to hate immigration, because when Trump says something like they’re all criminals and they’re all rapists, you’re just thinking, oh, it’s a big group of criminals that’s come across, and now they’re here and they’re raping our women. it’s language that you use to collectivize people.
‘Dreamers’
So what was it about this “Dreamers” that made you want to direct for the first time?
Because it’s so personal to me. It sounds cheesy, but I really felt a calling to tell this story. I think even with the films that I produce, they’re all part of me. I genuinely see myself in all of those stories. And part of the reason why even began Joi Productions was because, selfishly, I wanted to see myself on screen. I want to see Black lesbians, immigrants, women. I want to see people who look like me, people who love like me, people who’ve lived my life. I think there is a lack of diversity in diversity and by that I mean there is a lack of breadth of how we’re allowed to be diverse. Obviously, we’ve done immigration films before, but for me it was like, this is a love story that happens to be set in an immigration centre.
Having now made your directorial debut, are you planning to do more?
Yeah, and there’s one in particular. I optioned a book as a producer called “Ordinary People” by Diana Evans. I really love the book. And then I was like, actually, I think I want to direct this one. So I gave it to Emily [Morgan, producer]. She had a read and was like, yeah, I’m on board. So we’re doing that one, but I’m not writing it. Marissa Lestrade is. But that will be my second feature. I’m also doing a queer romcom as well. It was like, God, “Dreamers” was sad, we need to do something happy! It’s going to star Aiysha Hart, who was also in “Dreamers” and it’s about a Saudi family and a Nigerian family having a little wedding. The sisters have to save the wedding from falling apart and in the midst of that, they fall in love.
So are you keeping your producer hat on or is that off for now as you focus on directing?
Oh no, I’m just trying to be an overachiever!
What have you got coming up?
I’m doing Ashley Walters’ debut “Animol.” We’ve locked the picture and it looks absolutely beautiful. I think when it does come out, people are going to be pleasantly surprised. And I think that people will look at Ashley in a very different way to the work that he’s done as an actor. It’s honestly such a beautiful film.
Is there a through-line connecting everything you make at Joi?
Originally, the company was very much: Black, queer and female. But I will say, in all the projects that we do, we are always calling the audience for a challenge. There’s some sort of social change. So whether that’s “Dreamers” and immigration or “Animol,” which is about questioning the way we look at youth offenders. And there’s another film that we’re working on about young Black men and mental health. As a company, it’s about how can we make films that feel commercial but are really asking audiences tough questions.
But we do have a fun movie, which is sort of like our version of the “Goonies,” called “Back to the End.” There’s these four young teenagers whose estate is about to be taken over, but one of them finds that his granddad had some hidden treasure for his grandmother. So they goes in this epic journey through Hackney, while being chased by these dodgy guys. It’s a funny, young movie, but again, it’s really about how we’ve let communities slip for, I guess, money. And we’ve also got a creature horror about — and this sounds crazy — a worm that turns people racist. It’s based on a fairy tale and the idea is there’s this little worm that finds its way into the pipes and water system and feeds off people’s hate.
Amazing. I’m sold. What stage are those films at?
The worm one, we’re gonna go out to a director, and then the Goonies one, it’s being written. But they’re all with the BFI or the BBC or somebody. So we’re very lucky that we’re being supported by the industry in that way. But like I say, all our films have some sort of commercial aspect to it, but they’re all saying something and doing something. Our little trojan horse!
