Also, starring is Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine (The Chi, Queen of Katwe, Treme), Adepero Oduye (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Central Park Five, 12 Years a Slave), and Kwesi Boakye( Claws, Flight and The Amazing World of Gumball).
“Like me, most of the cast members in the film are first-generation Americans or immigrants from Africa,” explains writer/director Solomon Onita, Jr. “We worked hard to find cast members that embodies the immigrant spirit. I feel we have an A-level cast, and I am excited to have worked on my first feature with them.”
In 2018 during an interview with BET‘s Onita Jr, who’s a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity said, “Many Nigerian immigrants who move to America, they view fraternities as a very destructive, dangerous organization to join..They are pretty much like gangs that you see here in America. [Dayo] sees a very different fraternity than what he knew from home.”
Black fraternities are usually seen in a negative light, but this film is dedicated to showing everything isn’t always as it seems. “This film was different from other films that deal with fraternity culture. This film makes a positive case for fraternities rather than just repeating old tired stereotypes,” says Onita.”
Tazmanian Devil has some big names producing it such as Benny Boom and Cash Money Records co-founder Bryan “Birdman” Williams. The 2020 American Black Film Festival (ABFF) will be held online on August 21-30. Registration for free community passes opens on August 21.