FILM SKOOLIE NARRATIVE STATEMENT

My name is kA’RAMUU kUSH and FILM SKOOLIE is my ikigai (reason for being). I teach young people how to see the world through two sets of eyes, the eyes in their heads and the eyes in their minds (imagination).

I’m from the salt of a very specific earth, the dirt of Detroit, born on the eastside, raised on the westside. I attended Detroit public schools my entire life before dropping out of Cooley High. After dropping out, my creative ambitions led me to New York where I would discover my artistic voice in theatre and film and later Los Angeles before returning to New York to Head the Acting FTVC (Film, TV, Voice-overs and Commercials) BFA at Pace University. I’ve survived Hollywood everyday, mindfully, as a soul-rooted artist and continue to do so. In lockstep with my professional work as an artist has been my impassioned work as a pedagogical Culture Worker. And now, 30 years later, having taught, coached and directed countless others worldwide on how to access, hone and preserve their own artistic voices, I’m coming home.

I will be returning home to Detroit to shoot my feature film directorial debut SWIMMOBILE, produced by Oscar-nominated producer, Lauren Beck (Manchester By The Sea) with independent support from a host of powerful individuals and organizations inclusive of Marygrove Conservancy, The Song Foundation and The Balmer Group. Though, my greater purpose is not to just make a movie. My greater purpose is to have lasting, sustained impact. Thus, FILM SKOOLIE.

In the spirit of legendary retro-mobile services like swimmobile, bookmobile and the overall notion of leaving things better than we find them, my plan is to do more than just shoot a film in the city. Beyond bringing a film to Detroit, my greater charge is to bring film-making to Detroit.

I believe we can improve literacy, critical thinking, problem solving and collaborative skills through the language of the 21st century; visual narrative storytelling. As evidenced by the deluge of technology and social media propaganda, there is no art form as influential and pervasive as visual narrative and those who are empowered to harness it. Thus, FILM SKOOLIE.

I’ve nicknamed what will be the first FILM SKOOLIE mobile film lab, Morpheus, after the ancient greek god of dreams endowed with the ability to send images to the visions of people. The archetype Morpheus was most recently popularized in the neo-classic sci-fi franchise THE MATRIX, where his charge was to venture into the Matrix and find the messianic protagonist Neo, rumored to be, The One.

I believe there are countless “Ones” in the underserved matrix of communities where I grew up. Being from the salt of this very specific earth known as Detroit, having survived the same environment and challenges, I feel compelled to go back into these communities, my communities, and locate every single One we can find, affording them opportunities akin to Academy Award winning filmmaker Steven Spielberg, when his dad put a Super 8 video camera in his hands at the age of 12. 

I welcome you, and pray that you will be inspired, to join me for this beyond important and purpose-driven work.