Interview with Filmmaker Greg Osei (SEARCHING FOR WONDER)

SEARCHING FOR WONDER was the winner of BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY at the July 2020 Experimental Film Festival.

Matthew Toffolo: What motivated you to make this film?

Greg Osei: I had several experiences in 2016 that really inspired me to make this film. Two of the biggest inspirations were Beyoncé’s Lemonade and Taylor Mac’s A 24-Decade History of Popular Music. Both pieces really demonstrated how we can use art and our imaginations to rewrite narratives, replace lost or forgotten ones, and create new ones. I believe that process gives us the power to literally transform our reality. So many other things that year inspired me including Solange’s A Seat at the Table, my exploration of Celia Cruz’s life, and the devastation I felt during the election season. But Beyoncé and Taylor Mac were the biggest influences. I felt compelled to use my own creativity as a way to create new narratives where…