I originally conceived of this concept as a series, because this world is much too rich to cram into any other medium. From this premise, so many narrative themes and questions surfaced, giving me more than enough fodder to engineer the blood, sweat, and tears that became Suicide By Sunlight. Because of their biological advantage of being protected from the sun, they are able to seamlessly blend into humanity. We created a world in which Black Vampires, protected by their melanin, can day-walk. Once I discovered sci fi novelist Octavia Butler and started digging into vampire mythology as it exists in West Africa and the Caribbean, from the Ghanaian asanbosam to the Haitian loogaroo, I knew I could remix this folklore in a way that felt uniquely authentic, grounded in heritage.
I’ve always been a fan of the vampire genre, consuming classics like Vampire in Brooklyn, Interview With the Vampire, Blade, True Blood, Let the Right One In, Trouble Every Day, etc. This journey started 7 years ago and throughout the process, SBS has taken on various iterations: from a web-series, to a feature film script, to the TV series attached to our short film premiering at Sundance. What inspired you to write Suicide by Sunlight? What led you to the initial idea, and how did it evolve as you progressed? We spoke to Nikyatu about being inspired by West African and Caribbean folklore, evolving as a filmmaker alongside her crew members during the shoot, and the importance of honing your craft as a writer. Suicide By Sunlight, which was the recipient of the Tribeca Film Festival and Chanel’s “Through Her Lens” grant, is only the beginning of Nikyatu’s exploration of this particular alternate universe – look out next for an episodic series, created for streaming and television.Īlthough the full film is not yet able to be screened online, stay tuned for part 2, after Suicide by Sunlight completes its festival circuit! Fellow Free The Bid director Daisy Zhou steps behind the lens as the film’s cinematographer, crafting a visually resonant world for Valentina to inhabit.
Nikyatu follows Valentina, a day-walking black vampire protected from the harmful effects of the sun by the melanin in her skin, struggling to reconnect with her children and navigating roles (caregiver, predator) that are fundamentally at odds with one another.
One of the newest additions to Free The Bid’s database of directors is filmmaker Nikyatu Jusu, whose short film Suicide by Sunlight will be making its debut in Park City at the 2019 Festival. Culled from a huge pool of submissions, this year’s competitive Sundance Film Festival lineup is stacked with incredible films by women directors – including a number of films by members of the Free The Bid family!
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