The Aesthetics of Triple Consciousness: Interdisciplinary approaches to the films of Akosua Adoma Owusu

This screening and roundtable discussion focuses on interdisciplinary approaches to the aesthetics of “triple consciousness” in the work of acclaimed Ghanaian-American filmmaker, Akosua Adoma Owusu. Owusu’s visual elaborations of triple consciousness reflects the collision of identities and worlds experienced by African immigrants in the United States. Her work explores themes of the asymmetrical geographies of feminism, queer desires, displacement, and historical archives. The event will feature three short films introduced by Owusu and followed by reflections from Lauren Cramer (Cinema Studies), Jordache Ellapen (WGS), and Julie MacArthur (History).

Akosua Adoma Owusu (b. 1984) is an acclaimed Ghanaian-American filmmaker, producer, and cinematographer. Her experimental and narrative films create a third cinematic space or consciousness. Named by IndieWire as one of the 6 pre-eminent “Avant-Garde Female Filmmakers Who Redefined Cinema”, she has exhibited worldwide, including at the Berlinale, Locarno, New Directors/New Films (NY), and London (BFI), and won multiple awards, fellowships, and grants.