Last Sunday, we featured a short film titled ‘Home Away’, by Eritrean filmmaker Hannah Yohannes. We loved the film so much, we couldn’t let her go without finding out a bit more about her.
Check out ShineMyCown’s interview with Hannah Yohannes below!
SMC: What was the inspiration behind “Home Away?”
HY: I was inspired to create Home Away based off my personal experience of being homeless and a single parent in the past. I was tired of the stigma surrounding single mothers and felt there needed to be an awareness of the struggles faced by young parents. I also wanted to explore the definition of family and inspire others who have been or are currently in similar situations as well.
SMC: How much of yourself do you see in Sabrina?
HY: I see a lot of similarities between myself and Sabrina in terms of being observant in nature and her vulnerability. My lovely friend, Mouna Traore did an excellent job portraying Sabrina with such dimension to her character and grace.
SMC: Do you think it’s harder to succeed being a black, female filmmaker?
HY: It can be hard and challenging as a black, female filmmaker to succeed but it is not impossible. When you have amazing role models like Ava DuVernay and Issa Rae who pave the way for filmmakers such as myself, I feel inspired and have faith.
SMC: Have you always loved to write?
HY: I have always loved reading and writing. Writing is a great way for me to be creative, express myself through written form and connect with others through sharing stories.
SMC: What are your career “goals” in the long term?
One of my career goals in the long term is to partner and work with Disney. I fell in love with visual storytelling ever since I watched The Lion King so, it would definitely be a dream come true.
SMC: Which shows/movies do you curl up and watch when you’re not working on your own films?
HY: I love watching Queen Sugar, Game of Thrones, and I’m looking forward to watching Season 2 of Insecure.
SMC: What can we expect from you over the next few months?
HY: I’m currently working on developing my feature film and book based off my short film, Home Away.
Name one thing that no women of color should ever leave the house without?
HY:Her crown.
SMC: Here can our readers find out more about your work?
HY: My short film, Home Away is currently featured on Issa Rae’s #ShortFilmSundays series. Please feel free to check it out on youtube.com/issarae!
Everyone is welcome to find more about my work at:
Twitter and Instagram: @hannah_yohannes
Youtube: Hannah Yohannes
