Ben & Ara, is a 2015 United States–Cameroon romantic drama film directed by Nnegest Likké and co-produced by Joseph Baird, Constance Ejuma, Q'orianka Kilcher, Matthew Norsworthy and Samone Norsworthy for Nursing Tybalt Productions, Wonder Worthy Productions and N-Vision Pictures. The film revolves around two Ph.D. candidates, one an African Muslim and the other an agnostic, where they begin a romance after meeting at a museum but later discover that a love between different cultures and religions may have consequences.[1][2]
| Ben & Ara | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Nnegest Likké |
| Written by | Joseph Baird |
| Starring | Joseph Baird Constance Ejuma Akuyoe Graham Q'orianka Kilcher Michael Chieffo William Mark McCullough |
| Cinematography | David M. Rakoczy |
| Edited by | Jason Stoy |
| Music by | Ram Khatabakhsh |
Production companies | Nursing Tybalt Productions Wonder Worthy Productions N-Vision Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 87 minutes |
| Countries | United States Cameroon |
| Language | English |
The film stars Joseph Baird and Constance Ejuma in lead roles, with Akuyoe Graham, Q'orianka Kilcher, Michael Chieffo and William Mark McCullough in supporting roles.[3] The film received positive reviews and won several awards as well as screened at international film festivals.[4][5][6][7] It had its premiere in September 2015 at the Miami Independent Film Festival. In 2016, the film won the awards for Best Picture and Best Actress at the Indie Film Festival.[8] Main actress Constance Ejuma won the Best Actress Award at the Nevada Women's Film Festival.[9] In 2016, the film won the award for Best Diaspora film at the African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA).[10]
Cast
edit- Joseph Baird as Ben
- Constance Ejuma as Ara
- Akuyoe Graham as Quismah
- Q'orianka Kilcher as Gabrielle
- Michael Chieffo as Professor Hayes
- William Mark McCullough as Manny
- Momo Dione as Najeeb
- Emily Saliers as Andrea
- Craig Michael Beck as Frank
- Mildred Aldaya as Sasha
- Elizabeth Brewster as Secretary 2
- Haley Craft as Maxine
- Kristian Nicole Jackson as Secretary 1
- Julie Kessler as Doctor
- Austin Martin as Nnegest Likke'
- Charlotte Norsworthy as Jessica
- Samone Norsworthy as Lana
- Nital Patel as Professor Chopra
- James W. Ryder as Ken
- Dustin Seabolt as Vaughn
- Pepi Streiff as Female Professor (voice)
- Ryan Surratt as Mark Chatham
- Alyssa Taylor as Carol
- Ben Youcef as Johnnie
References
edit- ^ "Ben & Ara". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ^ "Ben & Ara (2017) Movie". hoopla. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ^ "Ben & Ara: English". Times of India. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ^ "Ben and Ara". San Francisco Black Film Festival. Archived from the original on 11 October 2019. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ^ "Ben and Ara". Festival International Du Film Panafricai. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ^ "Ben and Ara: Directed by Nnegest Likké". New York African Diaspora International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ^ "AFRICAN DIASPORA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW: A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AN ATHEIST AND A MUSLIM ENDS OVER A CONFLICT OF BELIEFS IN "BEN & ARA"". Irish Film Critic. 8 July 2019. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ^ "2016 Indie Film Festival: BEN & ARA". Winter Film Awards. 17 July 2016. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ^ "Award Winners 2016". Nevada Women's Film Festival. 2016-08-05. Archived from the original on 2019-05-15. Retrieved 2019-10-30.
- ^ "Ben & Ara Independent Feature Film". benandara. Retrieved 2019-10-31.