British–Nigerian actor, Hakeem Kae-Kazim is making his directorial debut with It’s The Blackness, a comedy, drama-romance set in South London.
Hakeem is one of the most recognisable stars of his generation having featured in films such as the Oscar-nominated Hotel Rwanda, Pirates of the Caribbean – At World’s End, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, King Kong vs Godzilla, 24’s’ Redemption, BBC/Netflix drama, Troy – Fall of a City to name a few, and appearing alongside notable stars like Don Cheadle, Johnny Depp, Hugh Jackman, Milla Jovovich, Mathew McConaughey, Ethan Hawke and Anne Hathaway.
Now, for the first time, Hakeem is going to instruct his fellow actors in the director’s chair in It’s The Blackness written by Dapo Oshiyemi and tells a funny, compelling, intelligent, provocative character-driven story about two brilliant young graduates of an elite university struggling to overcome institutional and structural racism barriers to build careers in modern Britain while balancing family and love.
According to Hakeem, who is well acquainted with the world in which the story is set having grown up in London, “I breathe this world, I grew up in it, It’s about my community, my family and not just about the struggles we face but the culture, family dynamics and love and happiness we experience which is rarely seen on the big screen.”