CAST
ASANA ALHASSAN | SAMIRA
Born and raised in Accra, the capital city of Ghana, Asana was discovered in a market and cast as the lead in the feature film Azali (2018), which was selected as the Ghanaian entry for the 92nd Academy Awards.
ALEXANDER BARAWUSU | ISHMAEL
While he’s long enjoyed performing jokes amongst his friends, Alexander was cast in Agadez as a non-actor. Since then, he has appeared in several other Ghanaian productions, including the film ’95 (2020).
FRANCIS WEDDEY | BAHAR
Francis in an actor based in Accra, Ghana. His other credits include Beasts of No Nation (2015), directed by Cary Fukunaga.
KOBINA AMISSAH-SAM | NABIL
Kobina is a Ghanaian actor known for his work on Beasts of No Nation (2015), The Burial of Kojo (2018) and Aloevera (2020).
EKOW BLANKSON | DAVID
With a Masters Degree in Fine Arts from the University of Ghana, Ekow Blankson is a longtime actor and the managing director of TV Africa.
KOFI TAKYI | MIGRANT FATHER
Kofi is a non-actor with five rambunctious children and a loving wife.
CREW
IAN BARLING | CO-WRITER/DIRECTOR
A native of Atlantic City, NJ, Ian toured the Northeastern US as a drummer in various punk rock bands in his youth. He shifted to photography and after college moved to NYC to work for several renowned commercial and fine art photographers.
Since enrolling in NYU’s Graduate Film program, Ian has received several fellowships and awards for his work, including the Spike Lee Production Fund for his thesis project, Safe (2021).
MAWULI AKPABI | PRODUCER
Mawuli is a Ghanaian Production Manager and Producer with over eight years of experience working on documentaries, short films and features. His credits include Freetown (2015), Children of the Mountain (2016) and The Burial Of Kojo (2018).
KAYLA AREND | PRODUCER
Kayla earned her MFA in Film and Television at NYU Tisch School of the Arts, where she was a recipient of the Spike Lee / Sandra Ifraimova Production Fund in 2020 for her graduate thesis film, Leaving Yellowstone.
Her short film Chicken Boy (2019) was featured at Red Rock International Film Festival, SoHo International Film Festival and Columbus Ohio International Film Festival, among others.
STEPHEN AGALIC | PRODUCER
A graduate of Ghana’s National Film and Television Institute, Stephen has worked as both producer and production manager in numerous commercial and narrative productions.
HOMOLADE OMOSUYI | CO-WRITER
Homolade is a Nigerian migrant, currently working in Libya to earn the funds required for passage across the Mediterranean into Italy, where she hopes to study fashion. Many aspects of Agadez are based on Homolade and her migration experience.
YUCHAO FENG | CINEMATOGRAPHER
From a small seaside city in China, Yuchao holds an MFA in Cinematography from New York University. He was awarded for Best Cinematography at The 2016 Short Pole London International Film Festival. His short film, PEARL made its world premiere at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival.
