Adamma Ebo is a Nigerian-American writer, director, and producer who works alongside her identical twin, Adanne Ebo. Both wrote on “Mrs. & Mrs. Smith,” an upcoming Amazon series. They also wrote for “Girls on the Bus” for Netflix/WBTV, and were just staffed on HBO Max’s new animated Batman series. They have several projects in development.
“Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.” is screening at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, which is running online from January 20-30. More information can be found on the fest’s website.
W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.
AE: “Honk For Jesus. Save Your Soul.” is a satirical dark comedy, part faux-documentary film, that chronicles a First Lady and her pastor husband as they attempt to rise from the ashes of scandal and make the biggest comeback that commodified religion has ever seen. And they’ve hired a film crew to capture every moment.
W&H: What drew you to this story?
AE: I was raised Southern Baptist during the height of booming megachurch culture, and I kept finding myself within this tug of war between what was being preached and what actions were being shown.
The complex emotions that came from my desire to both leave it all behind and cling to the aspects of organized religion that I find beautiful and inspiring continued to sit right in the pit of my stomach, so I decided to get it out the best way I know how — write.
W&H: What do you want people to think about after they watch the film?
AE: I want folks to leave this film and think about questioning everything they possibly can. Every preconceived idea or things they’ve been taught that they’ve just taken at face value – I want them to check it. Because that’s how we get the worst of people in this world: when things like power and influence and leadership go unchecked.
W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?
AE: The biggest challenge for me was ensuring that the shifting styles — faux documentary and standard narrative/cinematic — flowed from one to another in a way that felt natural and wasn’t confusing. Each stage got tougher; writing the script was hard, shooting the film was even harder, and editing it all together in a smooth and cohesive way was definitely the most creatively challenging. But I think for all of that, a more interesting story is told.
W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.
AE: My agency, UTA, was really instrumental in getting the film funded. They basically used their resources to send the script out to people they thought would be a good fit, and where we landed with our financiers was great. They were willing to take a risk on a story that was… well, high risk. And that means something.
W&H: What inspired you to become a filmmaker?
AE: I’d say my immovable love of story. My mother often read to my sister and I in the womb, and then continued to read to us every night until we were about eleven years old. But in between that, I was constantly reading, writing short stories, watching TV and films, and playing RPGs, which are games that are all about story.
Being surrounded by story felt like nonstop inspiration. And eventually, it wasn’t enough to just consume. I felt inspired to make something. And filmmaking felt like the intersection of all of the aspects of storytelling that I loved so much.
W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?
AE: Best advice I’ve ever received was from one of the film’s producers, Daniel Kaluuya, who basically reinforced to me that I know my movie, that I know what I want to say. And not to let that get clouded by people’s expectations or what they think this thing should be.
And the worst advice I’ve ever gotten was to not worry about what the crew wants, just do everything I need to get my movie. That’s bullshit, and the crew members are human beings. And ultimately, “below the line” folks need better pay and turnaround times for rest. We literally cannot do this without them.
W&H: What advice do you have for other women directors?
AE: You deserve to be here. You’re not just a diversity hire or getting a shot because catering to women is hot right now. And folks will say this about you — behind your back or to your face. You can ignore them, or you can read them like a book series. I recommend the latter. Sometimes folks desperately need to realize that they’ve picked the wrong one.
W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.
AE: This one’s tough, but way up there is “A League of Their Own,” directed by the late great Penny Marshall. As a kid, even though I didn’t actively realize that a woman directed the film, I could just feel that it was so different in how it was capturing these women. It’s hilarious, it’s poignant. There’s dry and dark humor throughout. There’s heart. A bit of raunch. And some amazingly composed shots of women playing baseball. I’m a jock and played for years.
I think and quote this film all of the time. Penny did that.
W&H: How are you adjusting to life during the COVID-19 pandemic? Are you keeping creative, and if so, how?
AE: To be honest, napping. Some folks hate having their home space been combined with their work space, but I love having the ability to work, then take a break and roll right on over to a bed or a couch to catch a nap. I keep creative by allowing myself to actually rest. And being feet away from a comfy place at all times works well for my creativity.
W&H: The film industry has a long history of underrepresenting people of color onscreen and behind the scenes and reinforcing — and creating — negative stereotypes. What actions do you think need to be taken to make it more inclusive?
AE: Money. To be honest.
Ok, to expound, I mean not just offering diversity programs or mentorships or what have you. Pay people of color actual money for their creative endeavors, and then put the money behind those endeavors to make sure that these same people’s work actually gets made — because then it’s out in the world. And that’s what will truly make the difference. Putting the money behind these voices and getting their stuff made.
