Woke
A Pakistani-American wannabe rapper helps out an African-American activist on a hot Atlanta afternoon only for them to fall into a heated debate about hip-hop, appropriation, and identity.
Interview with Writer/Producer Leland Frankel and Director/Producer Venk Potula
Watch Woke on Prime Video
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
LELAND: Thank you! Woke was definitely a passion project, one created in a very specific intersection of time and opportunity. I had originally written Woke as a short play, which Venk (the director and star) acted in here in Los Angeles. Venk grew up in Atlanta, and soon after the performance he was going to go back to his hometown for a few months. He wanted to do a film while he was there, and in Woke he saw an opportunity to reflect his singular experiences as an Asian-American growing up in the South. When he asked me if I could adapt Woke as a film set in Atlanta, and dealing with Atlanta-specific characters and circumstances, I was incredibly honored and agreed right away.
VENK: As Leland said, I connected with the script and its themes and felt it was reflective of my experience growing up in a predominately African-American populated city. It was also an excuse for me to exercise my rap skills. I also wanted to get in touch with my community in Atlanta. Making Woke was a great way for me to reach out to old friends and reignite friendships. It’s hard work and it’s not easy, but when everyone on board is passionate about bringing the project to life, it creates an atmosphere for creativity to blossom. I could not have done it without my cast and crew.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
LELAND: You should watch it because it’s a laugh-out-loud funny, exceptionally nuanced examination of race relations in America, viewed through a super specific lens of identity and culture - which actually only makes it more universal, ultimately.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
LELAND: This is a film about our culture, and who has a right to use certain elements of it, and for what. Do our racial identities define who we are? Or are they secondary to the paths and beliefs that we choose for ourselves? These are broad, universal struggles that everybody has experienced at one point or another, but setting it in Atlanta, and examining the specific clash between South Asian and African-American culture (which was Venk’s experience growing up) lends it a totally unique point of view that is almost never seen on-screen.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
LELAND: The original play Woke was set in Queens – I grew up in NYC, and it examined the conflict between a Pakistani-American rapper and a Jewish-American urban explorer, who comes from a background much more similar to my own. When we decided to adapt it as a short film, Venk wanted to explore his experiences being a minority in one of the country’s largest majority minority, which led to our re-imagining the character of Rebecca as an African-American graffiti artist and activist – a decision that really sharpened the debate at the heart of the film and made it much more personal
What type of feedback have you received so far?
LELAND: Honestly, so far it’s all been really positive! We’ve played around 20 festivals nationwide, from intimate local events to the Oscar-qualifying Urbanworld Film Festival in Times Square, where we got to watch our film be introduced by Boris Kodjoe. I think people are really responding to the specificity of our story, combined with the passionate lead performances and the gorgeous cinematography – honestly, Venk did such a great job capturing the sweaty, eye-searing heat and color of a summer afternoon in Atlanta.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
LELAND: I think from the few instances of less-positive feedback that we’ve received, we’re learning how some people struggle with intimate stories – stories that talk about very specific experiences, when they would rather we discuss broader issues that they can more easily relate to. But our belief is that unfamiliar worlds and characters need to be represented on-screen, even if they defy easy categorization, and that in the nuances of these stories, universal ideas and themes still emerge.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
LELAND: Our hope is to attract more eyes to our project and have it be seen by a broader audience – it’s one thing to play an Asian-American themed film at an Asian-American film festival, but we are really eager to see what reactions Woke will provoke from audiences of every race, identity, and social background. Film festivals are a very enclosed world, and we want to get a feel on the pulse of the movie-going audience as a whole.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
LELAND: In a perfect world, we would love to attract producers and financiers to this project so that they can become inspired to invest in our future works. That’s the hardest part, always – trying to finish the current project while planning for and executing the next. Having outside partners attached really frees up a lot of mental space for us as creatives to make the best damn art that we can.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
LELAND: Ideally, we want to encourage people to listen to each other more. I wrote this project to express my realization that I was not being a good enough ally to people of color, and that it’s one thing to say that you’re “woke” and another to actually put in the hard work of supporting and amplifying non-white voices. We want our audiences to reflect upon their own supposed wokeness and to take the time to listen to experiences beyond their own - not just dig in and defend their liberal, cosmopolitan superiority.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
LELAND: Can “art for art’s sake” exist in the 21st century, in the age of Trump and rising fascism across the world? Or does art really only matter as a tool for advancing social justice?
Would you like to add anything else?
LELAND: Our film is going to be featured on Seed&Spark starting October 23rd, so make sure to check us out there! It’s pay-what-you-can, and every cent will go towards funding for our next film project!
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
LELAND: Venk and I already have another short film in post-production, as well as an original narrative podcast. The former is an edgy black comedy called Subs, about rival substitute teachers competing for a job at a fancy elementary school, while the latter is called Masala Jones and explores race relations in the adult entertainment industry, featuring performances by a host of incredible actors; people you’ve seen on The Walking Dead, How To Get Away With Murder, and more. Venk stars in both projects, naturally.
Interview: September 2018
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
Woke
A Pakistani-American wannabe rapper helps out an African-American activist on a hot Atlanta afternoon only for them to fall into a heated debate about hip-hop, appropriation, and identity.
Length: 10:30
Director: Venk Potula
Producer: Venk Potula/Leland Frankel
Writer: Leland Frankel
About the writer, director and producer:
VENK POTULA is an award-winning Indian-American filmmaker based in LA. As an actor, he can be seen on VEEP, Wild N’ Out, and more.
LELAND FRANKEL is an award-winning writer. His plays have been produced across the country, from Kealakekua to New York City.
Key cast: Venk Potula, Kiah Clingman, Jock McKissick, Neal Kotval
Instagram: @venkpotula
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Seed and Spark October 23rd.