Local Filmmaker's Debut Feature to Receive Philadelphia Premiere

PHILADELPHIA, PA (10/20/2011)(readMedia)-- The Destiny of Lesser Animals (Sibo ne kra, Dabo ne kra), a film produced and directed by Deron Albright, M.F.A., associate professor of film at Saint Joseph's University, will receive its Philadelphia premiere when it is screened as a special event by the Philadelphia Film Festival on Sunday, Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m., at the International House, 3701 Chestnut Street. A subsequent showing is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 3, at the Ritz East B, 125 S. Second Street, at 7:30 p.m.

Destiny has met with significant critical acclaim. Justin Lowe of The Hollywood Reporter called the film, which was shot on location in Ghana, West Africa, an "...accomplished debut feature...with a distinct sense of place." The Stranger's Charles Mudede (Seattle) referred to it as "...the African transformation of the detective cinema." Writing for the Examiner.com, Eric Shlapack praised the film as "...a Ghanaian crime thriller that goes beyond the genre to become a work of art."

A taut police drama set in Accra, Ghana's capital, as well as in other Ghanaian cities and New York, Destiny is the story of one man's journey to find and value his own culture. Albright collaborated on the film with Ghanaian screenwriter and actor Yao B. Nunoo while he was a Fulbright Senior Scholar in Ghana, West Africa, during the 2008-09 academic year.

"It has been an exhausting four-year process," says Albright, "but it is extremely gratifying to have the film accepted as it has been. It's a tribute to the dedication and effort of the entire team."

Receiving its African premiere in Accra in September, Destiny was embraced by audiences and film critics alike. Leading Ghanaian arts writer Pahjohn Dadson said that the film "...is not [just] a Ghanaian movie. It is Ghanaian cinema." Eyeing a qualifying run in 2012, Destiny is poised to be the first film in 20 years from Ghana to be advanced to The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Best Foreign Language Film.

This past April, Destiny premiered in New York at New Directors/New Films (ND/NF), a curated film program run by the Film Society of the Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art's Department of Film. ND/NF is known for showcasing the work of emerging filmmakers and uncovering the talents of industry heavyweights, among them Stephen Spielberg, Pedro Almodovar and Darren Aronofsky.

Destiny has since screened at major film festivals in the U.S., including the Seattle International Film Festival, the Los Angeles Film Festival, the Mill Valley Film Festival and the Chicago International Film Festival. With several local connections, the Philadelphia Film Festival premiere is a homecoming for members of the creative team. Albright lives in Narberth, Pa., and Nunoo lives in Philadelphia, as does sound designer and composer John Avarese and digital color artist Mark Melchiorre.

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Posted Thursday October 20, 2011 at 05:02 pm by Saint Joseph's University
Last Updated Friday October 21, 2011 at 11:47 am