Adjani got bitten by the film bug early. At 13, he had a four-megapixel digital camera, which he used to make homages and unique renditions of Kung Fu films starring his friends. These early excursions were all shot using one take (which wasn’t exactly a creative decision; it was simply because he had no clue how to edit).
It wasn’t too long after however, that he did learn how to edit as well other essential filmmaking skills. So, Adjani left Jamaica, renouncing his proposed architectural career, bought a one-way ticket to London and enrolled at the Met Film School. Whilst there, he directed seven films. His graduation film ‘His Father’s Son’ was screened at Cannes, Blackstar and the Montreal World Film Festival.
The enterprising filmmaker went on to develop a web series called ‘Dreaming Whilst Black’. Both brilliantly funny and ruthlessly truthful, Adjani said of it, it was a case of ‘Do your absolute best with whatever you have’. And what he did have was many gifted friends, YouTube, heaps of talent and an unrelenting desire to tell stories.
And it all paid off. As well as receiving incredible reviews for the web series, ‘Dreaming Whilst Black’ was picked up by A24 and became a massive hit on BBC Three (with a second season now commissioned).
Describing the series, Adjani says, ‘We present the story as a minefield where we show things which can be funny but might be racist, and we’re not going to tell you which is which. You’ve just got to laugh wherever you feel fit and ask yourself why.’
Guilty pleasure: 90’s pop songs (in private, obviously)
Favourite cake: Red Velvet (Adjani doesn’t acknowledge any other cake. None. At. All)