From creating elaborate stories as a child to working on well-known projects for big television networks to leaving it all to follow her dreams of creating her own stories through film, film director and creator Lande Yoosuf has not only made a space for herself in the film industry but has made one for aspiring filmmakers through creating the Black Film Space, a creative collective where members of the African diaspora can network, participate in screenplay reviews and more.
Where are you from?
Both of my parents were born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria but I was born and raised in the Flatbush area of Brooklyn. I mentioned both because they equally contribute to who I am. I’m definitely Americanized, but I also value my West African roots very strongly and appreciate my Yoruba ethnicity.
You started out your media career in television. What initially attracted you to that industry?
I had no idea what I wanted to do, but I knew I was attracted to the arts. I was constantly reading, writing and singing songs with friends. I used my toys to play out the stories my imagination created. One of my plays/shows was called “Soap Opera” and I would make my dolls fall in and out of love. I was essentially directing without realizing it! I knew that I needed to do something that would allow me to express my whimsical nature.
In high school, my mom pressured me to major in architecture—like most Africans, she wanted me to pick a profession that had security and my father was an architect. It’s totally understandable but I knew that as much as a loved architecture, I didn’t want to do it professionally. When I shared my dilemma with my classmate, she said, “You talk a lot, why don’t you consider media?” That night, I went home and took the Myers Briggs test and I had the same personality as Oprah Winfrey. It was game over from there.
As a Nigerian-American, how was your decision to work in the media received by your family?
Not well at all. My parents said a lot of stuff I don’t really want to repeat about my decision. Choosing my career was the first thing I decided on my own and it felt amazing. I finally felt like my courage was growing and I was discovering something that really was my own. Once my parents saw how hard I was working and how dedicated I was towards my goals, they became much more supportive and are incredibly encouraging now.
How did you land your first television position?
I interned at MTV during my last semester of college and was lucky enough to get hired. My first job was as a transcriber working on a show about cars.
What was your role while you were working in television?
I started out as a production assistant on various MTV gigs. Then I started my first casting gig on the pilot for 16 and Pregnant, continued to freelance and worked for a talk show for a bit. My favorite gigs were always in development—coming up with ideas, interviewing talent and finding various ways they can fit into a series.
How long did you work in television?
For about ten years. I starting working full time in 2007 and left in the early summer of 2017. I guess I followed Malcolm Gladwell’s mastery principle because I got really bored and restless with my careers in reality TV. I was ready to try something else—scripted film.
What first interested you about film?
I LOVED watching movies. It felt like an event that I need to plan for. And it played into my love for fantasy and imagination.
What was the catalyst that made you move from television to film?
A friend referred me to a writer/director duo for their first short film. I started working with them as a producer and while being on set, I realized that I was waiting to work on my own scripted content unnecessarily. Not to mention burning myself out helping everyone but myself.
Shortly after, my business partner Reggie Williams friended me on Facebook. We met for coffee and then started working together. His feedback and assistance was a huge help in making me feel confident that I could make movies. Once my friends and family caught wind of my goal to do films, they were all incredibly supportive and that also was encouraging! All of these combined experienced helped me to assert myself more as a filmmaker.
As a film maker, what are your own personal goals?
I want my work to encourage black people to experience more self-love and to feel inclined to share their love with other members of the community. To put down the masks, egos and pathologies and find better ways of coping with oppression.
I also want black women to discover the multitude of their beauty and strength.
Has your heritage at all influenced your storytelling?
Oh, absolutely. I think as a black, west African, dark-skinned, plus-sized woman—my life experiences have had immense impact on my creativity. I see the world from a lens that is different from a lot of people I know. I also have deep interest in human psychology, and black/African history. From an older and modern perspective. Studying human behavior from an anthropological perspective allows me to understand humankind in a way I couldn’t have previously.
What changes would you like to see in the film and television industries?
The colorism is getting on my damn nerves. There really is NO EXCUSE at this point. I want to see more dark-skinned couples on TV and film without the woman being scandalous, trifling or mean; it perpetuates pathology. I want to see thick/plus-sized black women as more than the sidekick or rambunctious woman who emasculates black men. I also don’t want us to make work with black characters that are centered on the white gaze. How white people see us, how we appear and relate to white People, winning the approval and favor of white people, abandoning our black/ethnic identities and seeing white mainstream culture as the only alternative to rebel against tradition. I have to be mindful of this myself because the reality is that my life is black-centric. My family, my social circles and most of my relationships are with black people. And that’s probably what would serve me best as an artist.
What exactly is the Black Film Space and who is it for?
Black Film Space is a grassroots organization intended to support black filmmakers with resources, skill enhancement and building stronger professional networks.
What was the impetus to start the Black Film Space?
When I decided to get into the film industry, I knew I needed to form better relationships and build a strong network in a way that allowed me to connect with others genuinely. I didn’t really know how I was going to do that initially. Then Reggie found me on Facebook and we met up for coffee. We planned on bringing some friends together and then it turned into happy hour, then a script reading, a panel with an established filmmaker, and a few months later became Black Film Space. It was the community I needed!
What are you hoping to achieve with Black Film Space?
We want to be one of the first organizations that come to mind for black content creators. Our organization is a safe space for us to flush out our vulnerabilities through our artistry.
We also want to have enough influence in the film/tv/streaming/web industry to vet the best talent—that includes directors, actors, writers and any other roles involved in filmmaking.
