Adam the First is a groundbreaking African sci-fi thriller film that tells the story of Adam, a man in search of a new home after the devastating effects of climate change and a nuclear war. The film follows the journey of Adam, played by Agbeko “Bex” M-O-R-T-T-Y, who is searching for a new home after the destruction of planet Earth. He is accompanied by a robot named U800, voiced by Majeed Suhuyini, and Veetin, played by Naa Ashorkor Mensah-Doku, a physical manifestation of the newfound planet. The film also stars Samira Suhyini and Jacob Ayanaba.
M. Sayibu, who aims to present an authentic African lead and examine what humanity must change to create a better future, draws inspiration from the likes of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg to bring to the screen a truly African experience with international value.
Adam the First was shot in three main locations: Sege, Accra, and Bolga. The film showcases the beauty of Ghana, complete with an excellent design by Sycho Brown and a skillful crew that is 99% Ghanaian, and promises to challenge the narrative on Africa and educate and inspire a new audience of Africans, especially the youth, to look to the future and understand where we came from.
The film, which has been in the making for five years, has just completed principal photography, is undergoing full post-production, and is seeking distribution. With this, the director shares his experience on the project.
As a child who grew up reading the great works of Chinua Achebe in the same breath as H.G. Wells, I always contended from observation through my readings that what we lacked was not talent but the thought process of truly delving into imaginative storytelling. They say “art imitates life,” but in recent years the opposite can be said to be true. We have gone to the moon since Jules Verne suggested it, and we have encountered Mars since H.G. Wells told us her inhabitants were coming for us. To me, that is the true power of art. The ability to win hearts and influence minds for the better With this film, I hope to spark the idea of space travel and space research in our people. Space is the final frontier. We have looked up since the beginning of time because it calls to us. To understand who we are, we must understand where we came from. Let’s look to the stars, like our ancestors did. And let us do so through art and imagination.
This is a project that started in November 2018. At first, the idea was to make it a short film; however, it grew and grew, and it’s now a feature film. Adam the First” has now completed its principal photography and is undergoing full post-production. Since it is a science fiction film, there is a high requirement for visual effects. This takes a lot of delicate and detailed work, so a lot of time is required. We are also determined to do something special with the sound and music in the film, as a lot of research, contacts, and work are going into this work. There are a few links to information we have already put out, and we hope to engage further with interested parties to highlight the benefits of this project to the film world and African and Ghanaian cinema in particular.
The genre of our film is not unique; it has been explored time and again and is a very popular genre. However, the angle from which the story comes is ground-breaking. The following list of films is comparable to what we are producing: “Primer,” released in 2004, “Europa Report,” released in 2013, Prometheus,” released in 2012, and The Road,” released in 2009.
THE STORY
In these days of diversity, we have seen it necessary to tell an African futuristic story.
Our own story, written and told by us One that highlights our history, our current culture, our potential, and the future greatness we envision. Once the film is out, it will be obvious that it is a truly African experience with international value. We intend to educate and inspire a new audience of Africans, the youth in particular, through this film. We believe it is time stories like ours re-arrest the narrative on Africa.
THE PRODUCTION
The film was shot in three main locations: Sege, in the Greater Accra area; the city of Accra; and Bolga, in the Upper East Region. As the film is set on a new planet, it was essential that our locations reflect that kind of terrain, and we were able to find exactly what we needed in these areas. It was a revelation of the beauty of Ghana that we were able to show these locations in the film.
Our Art Director also built an amazing but simple internal structure for the TIAMAT, which we located in a garage in the East Airport area of Accra. The design features some African symbols and houses the capsule in which Adam travels from Earth.
As well as the excellent design by Sycho Brown, we had a very skilled and knowledgeable crew, including Karl Marx as the DOP, Kayda Afriyie Frimpong doing the costumes, Jumic Emma Anderson as a First Assistant, and Mawuli Elly on sound.
Their combined experience on various local and international sets here in Ghana means we have a film with extremely high production value. Virtually 99% of the cast and crew on this production are Ghanaians, a fact that we are very proud of.
M. Sayibu is a Ghanaian-American writer and director. He has directed two short films “This Line of Work” and “The Short Cut” as well as the 2017 feature “The Northern King” followed by 2018’s “Slumber Party Massacre”. He created the Sembene Entertainment Group in 2006 to champion his dream of creating a hub for creative minds and talents in the Ghanaian movie space. M. Sayibu is a veteran of the US Air Force, having served 4 years at the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base as a Combat Support Services Journeyman.
