Ghanaian filmmaker Jennifer Drake moved to Munich for film school where she worked as a producer before directing her first short GOD IS GREY. The short, which explores the taboos around sexuality in her home and adopted countries, had its world premiere at LA Shorts Fest, European premiere at the British Urban Film Festival, and will see its German premiere at the upcoming Max Öphuls Preis Film Festival later this month.

We caught up with Jennifer to talk about her switch to directing, the challenges of filmmaking, and what it means for her film to find an audience, especially among other people of colour.

GOD IS GREY appears on T-Port courtesy of our partners at the Film Festival Max Öphuls Preis. Professional Subscribers can check it out now.

Hi Jennifer! Would you like to Introduce yourself in a few lines?

I’m a writer, producer, and now a director. Originally from Ghana, West Africa, I officially began my filmmaking journey in 2020 when I enrolled in film school in Germany to study Film Production and Media Business at the University of Television and Film, Munich.

Since then, I’ve had the privilege of working as a producer on over 15 films, including fiction and documentaries, and I’ve also written a few screenplays. Recently, I took an exciting step forward by directing my first project.

Do you have a philosophy behind your filmmaking? Could you tell us about it?

I truly believe that media shapes how we see the world. My goal is to create films that break barriers, open doors to unknown worlds, and push and challenge boundaries—all while staying true to the humanity at the heart of every story.

As Chimamanda Adichie said, “Stories matter. Many stories matter. Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign. But stories can also be used to empower, and to humanize. Stories can break the dignity of a people. But stories can also repair that broken dignity.”

How did you first start working on this film? What was the process like and what first sparked the idea to make it?

I think this film began taking shape when I moved to Munich in 2018. For the first time, I was away from my family and anyone who knew me. It felt like an opportunity to reinvent myself—to explore my sexuality and embrace the freedom to do anything I wanted. Yet, even with no one around to judge or criticize me, I couldn’t fully embrace that freedom. I felt uncomfortable in the spaces I explored and I wanted to be part of a church again. How do I merge the two?

This led me to think of the concept of freedom—having it but still being limited by my own mind. That’s when the idea for God is Grey was born—a story centred on two perspectives: the son urging his parents to live openly and the mother knowing that she can’t because it would mean losing the only community she’s ever been a part of. I kept writing and rewriting until I finally shared it with my professor, who encouraged me to go for it.

The process was long and exhausting. I couldn’t shoot in my home country because it’s deeply homophobic. I considered South Africa, as it’s the only African country where homosexuality is legalized, but it felt impossible to make it work. I eventually settled on London. It had the dual identity I was looking for—a place where homosexuality is legal but still frowned upon in some communities.

Financing the film was another hurdle. It was difficult since it had no direct ties to Germany, where I was based at the time, but somehow, we made it work.

And then when you began the practical side, how did the production process pan out for you?

So as I said, we were shooting in London so that in itself was tough. We couldn’t spontaneously go location scouting or do rehearsals. Everything had to be planned whenever I was over in London, which was luckily, 3-4 times before we actually shot.

Finding a team was also quite tough, people were eager about the project but could not fully commit as they were not getting paid for it.

What were the biggest challenges you encountered during making your film?

The biggest was getting people to fully commit. As we all know London is super expensive and people need to work to be able to live there so if any job came around, they’d have to make it work which obviously sucks for the production but is understandable.

On one of our shooting days, one of the main actors had an audition and had to leave mid-shoot. The production team we found in the UK had to leave the project because they all found jobs in the middle. My producer in Germany had to take over solely and she did an amazing job!

How was it to collaborate with your cast and crew? Have you formed any particular meaningful connections?

It was amazing! I think it’s been one of my best experiences so far. Everyone was super understanding and glad to be involved in the project. I had a wonderful production designer, Tabitha Odutayo, who simply gave her best from day one. We still talk and joke about it to this day.

I also loved working with the actors. For Frederick, it was his first time doing it and he gave it his all. He won Best Actor at the British Urban Film Festival which is amazing! I am so proud of him!

Tell us about the sound choices in your film

I’ve always been a huge fan of piano music—maybe because I was watching “Succession” at the time, haha! But there’s something about piano music that’s so melodious yet so dark.

I shared this idea with my composer, Tess Sperber, and she loved it. She even suggested incorporating “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child,” which resonated deeply with the themes of our film and its roots in Black culture. Working with Tess was such an eye-opening experience; she brought a fresh perspective to the project.

I also knew I wanted an original score for the final credits. My producer introduced me to Maximillian Kremser, who then introduced me to Ege Ateslioglu. We met one night at a party during Max Ophüls film festival in 2024. I told them I honestly had no idea what I wanted. All I had were lyrics that Tabitha and I had written together for the end credits song (Yes, Tabitha worked on the lyrics too). They were so excited by the challenge and ran with it, creating something beautiful.

I feel incredibly lucky to have collaborated with such talented people.

Tell us about the visual choices in your film. What were your main goals and techniques in creating the visual style of your film?

As a first-time director, I feel incredibly lucky to have worked with my cinematographer, Noah Böhm. He’s so talented. Since I’m primarily a writer, I tend to feel the stories I create rather than see them. Translating written language into visual language was challenging at times, but Noah was brilliant at helping me visually articulate what I needed.

I’d share my feelings about the film and the atmosphere I envisioned, and he would translate those emotions into light and framing.

For instance, it was crucial to show the warmth of the church members in the film. This is a community that will support you wholeheartedly but can grow cold when you don’t conform to their doctrines. We captured that duality through warmth in the kitchen and at home while conveying coldness within the church itself. It was also important to both of us to present every character in their best light, staying true to the story’s space and context.

Visually, we drew inspiration from “Mother of George,” while the narrative style was influenced by films like “Waves,” “A Thousand and One,” and “Fences.”

Another priority for us was ensuring a comfortable and respectful environment for everyone on set, particularly Black cast and crew. We were very aware of stories about Black people enduring challenges on set due to a lack of understanding around hair, makeup, costume, and lighting. We wanted to avoid those issues at all costs and make sure everyone felt seen and valued.

What was it like for you working with the actors you cast? Do you have a technique for directing actors you can tell us about?

I absolutely loved it. I don’t think I have any technique as I am not a trained director. I just talked to them over and over again about their characters and the motivation behind the actions. We talked about our lives and the things we could all relate to within our community.

We went through very dialogue heavy scenes together and I guided them as they set their own tone for the scene. They are both amazing actors so they were able to run with it.

Can you share the most important lessons you learned through the process of making the film?

I learned so many things: Having the right people involved in a project is so important. The energy on set affects everything. I’ve learned the value of spending as much time as possible with my actors (both main and supporting actors) to have them fully immersed in the lives of their characters.

I’ve also realized that post-production can be just as intense as the production phase. However, the most important lesson I learnt was to plan transitions between scenes. It is so crucial. Even though it reads well, it might not translate well on screen and it’s so much harder to fix things in post.

If you could go back in time to pre-production and give yourself one piece of advice, what would it be?

This is difficult to answer as I love the project as it is now but I would say that maybe my cinematographer should have gone to London way earlier. This would have given us more time to work on the framing and to work with the actors with a camera. In summary, more rehearsal time with the actors along with my cinematographer would have been great!

What would you like people to take away from your film?

Lead by love. Whether you’re on one end of the spectrum or the other, note that everyone is struggling to find their place in this world and have understanding that things are not just black and white. Some people have to actively survive even though they are free.

How does it feel for you, as an artist, to see your work being accepted to festivals and more?

It’s incredible—I honestly didn’t think it would go this far. As a first-time filmmaker, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the reception has been amazing. Watching audience reactions, especially at predominantly Black festivals, has been such an amazing and validating experience because they are totally immersed in the story and you’d know because they are very expressive about it. They will gasp loudly when they are shocked or make little intonations when they are expecting trouble or when they get something.

I love! It’s moments like those that make me think, Yeah, maybe I can really do this.

How has the process of distributing the film been for you so far? What have you learned?

It’s been a mix of excitement and challenges. My producer, Armin Schneider (YTF Berlin), and I recently sat down to draft a list of festivals we’d love the film to be screened at and who had themes relating to our film. We looked at their past festivals and how diverse it was in terms of audience and film selection and made the list. The list was long—and expensive—but we were fortunate to have Armin by our side. He’s such a huge fan of the movie and really believes in its potential. Not only did he invest in the film, but he invested his time and experience into being a consultant on the project. He’s simply amazing!

With each acceptance, it feels like a huge win. But for every one of those, there are about 15 rejections. Sometimes, I lose perspective and feel down, but then I remind myself: this is part of the journey. Not every festival will accept the film—that would be too easy! And honestly, the places that have accepted it have been exactly the right fit—right audiences, right conversations. It’s been truly amazing!

What are your plans and dreams for the future?

My goal is to continue writing and making films and to be able to live off them. I’d love to establish a writing program in Ghana and Nigeria that provides writers with the resources to study the art and craft of screenwriting. African culture is deeply rooted in storytelling, yet our stories often struggle to reach broader audiences. I want to equip writers with the tools they need to tell stories that resonate both within and beyond our borders.

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