ENONGO - The Sammus Documentary

The world premiere of Enongo was electrifying. ✨ A full house on a beautiful afternoon for a screening that sold out in just six days. People of all walks of life laughing, crying, and cheering together. A standing ovation immediately followed by the entire auditorium singing along with the refrain in the end credits. An event nearly a decade in the making. And this is just the start of our journey.

 

Thank you to the Hip Hop Film Festival for giving a platform to our passion project and creative voices.

Thank you to DCTV for sharing their gorgeous venue and kind hospitality on this special occasion.

Thank you to Enongo Lumumba-Kasongo for giving the whole crew the incredible gift of trusting us to tell your story with freedom and sincerity.

Thank you to our new friends, DJ Kool Herc and Cindy Campbell — the father and mother of hip-hop, who created an art form that changed the world — for blessing our celebration with your presence and joy. Thank you to every single person who came out to support independent cinema and authentic storytelling in a theatrical experience.

This weekend was such a big one for Enongo, that we had TWO premieres! ✨ Animator Ariel Paxton and composer / executive producer EmmoLei Sankofa represented our movie at the prestigious Sidewalk Film Festival in historic Birmingham, Alabama. The South’s got something to say with the extremely positive reception of our hip-hop-fueled portrait! What a joy to return to one of the region’s greatest celebrations of cinema. Thank you, Sidewalk Film Festival! 

Finally, Enongo was awarded the top prize at the 10th Hip Hop Film Festival: Best of the Fest. ? To paraphrase the festival’s founder, CR Capers, our film received this honor for being the film that best embodied the mission, values, and spirit of the entire festival in its ten years of celebrating the culture.

In lieu of speeches, members of our dedicated team provided these words of gratitude:

“Enongo is the quintessential story of the Black female experience that the world hasn’t acknowledged exists. With this award, I’m honored that all of our work is seen before a collective audience. Thank you for seeing and embracing us authentically.”
— Shammah McVay, animation artist / associate producer

“I’m forever grateful for the opportunity to make Black girl nerds feel seen and uplifted by their community.”
— Anaiyah Tatiana, animator

“Being part of a film that showcases the rawness and uniqueness of a Black woman’s story — something we don’t often get to see — was truly a phenomenal experience. Grateful to have been on this project and thank you to the Hip Hop Film Festival for recognizing this powerful piece.”
— Jessica Wachuku, camera operator

“This film was the first feature I was ever given the chance to be part of, and it’s been an honor to shape its sound and music. I’m deeply grateful to Kevin, Enongo, and our team for their trust, and to the festival for celebrating her story.”
— EmmoLei Sankofa, composer / executive producer

Thank you. ✨

This adventure is just beginning.  We're excited to share it with you.

Next stops for Enongo:
Harlem, NYC
Cleveland, OH – Tickets: https://gcuff14.eventive.org/schedule/689533b6148a58e942708144
Minneapolis, MN
St. Louis, MO
…with many more to be announced.

Follow us to stay tuned:

Instagram: http://instagram.com/enongomovie

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/enongomovie

Official Website: https://www.enongomovie.com/