AKILLA'S ESCAPE
directed by Charles Officer
Akilla’s Escape weaves the present and past in a crime-noir about the urban child-soldier.
Akilla Brown is forty-years-old and for the first time in his life, the clandestine cannabis grow operation he runs is legit. Only one year into government approval legalization, the pendulum of hypocrisy takes a toll and Akilla decides to cash out. While making a routine delivery on a cool, summer night, destiny takes an unexpected turn when Akilla confronts a firestorm of masked youths in an armed robbery.
THRILLER DCP/4K - 2020 - Canada - 90min
CAST Saul Williams, Thamela Mpumlwana,
Vic Mensa, Claire Prendergast
ORIGINAL LANGUAGE English
PRODUCED BY CANESUGAR FILMWORKS
DIRECTOR
Charles Officer is the founder and creative director of Canesugar Filmworks. His filmmakingcareer began with a slate of award-winning short films that premiered at International Film Festivals around the world. He is an alumnus of the Canadian Film Centre Director Residency where his debut feature Nurse.Fighter.Boy was produced (TIFF ’08, 10 Genie Nominations 2010). Charles followed with the feature documentary Mighty Jerome (four Leo Awards in 2011, 2012 Emmy Award for Best Historical Documentary). Officer directed Stone Thrower: The Chuck Ealey Story for the eight-episode documentary series Engraved on a Nation (2014 CSA Best Documentary Series). In 2017 he made The Skin We’re In, featuring journalist and activist Desmond Cole and the feature documentary Unarmed Verses (Hot Docs Best Canadian Feature Awards, Vancouver International Film Festival 2017, TIFF Top Ten People’s Choice Award 2018).