CCNY Grad’s film about Slave Folklore Wins Texas Black Film Festival PiotrKajstura Polish immigrant Piotr Kajstura was working on campus when he heard an African folktale from a fellow student at The City College of New York about magic and its uplifting effect on a group of slaves in the antebellum South.
A film major with a strong interest in magical realism, Mr. Kajstura was captivated. The tale became the inspiration for his M.F.A thesis project, “When They Could Fly,” which won the Best Short Film and Best Overall Film awards at the first annual Texas Black Film Festival in Addison in early 2007, beating out entries by Hollywood stars Queen Latifah, Bruce Willis and Vanessa L. Williams.
Set on a cotton plantation before the Civil War, the 28-minute period piece was shot in 18 days on location in South Carolina, and stars Nigerian-born actress Folake Olowofoyeku, a 2006 graduate of City College’s Theatre Program. Other CCNY students were involved in the project as crew members. As one of the prizes for winning in Addison, Mr. Kajstura’s production qualified for the American Film Institute’s (AFI) 2007 Dallas International Festival, one of the biggest in the country.
Polish immigrant Piotr Kajstura was working on campus when he heard an African folktale from a fellow student at The City College of New York about magic and its uplifting effect on a group of slaves in the antebellum South. 