Director Will Niava's film, JAZZ INFERNAL (2025), is showing on July 23rd at the Future of Film Showcase in Toronto. If you're reading this before the date and can go, what are you waiting for? Buy tickets!

It's that incredible, one of the best films I've seen all year. It won a Short Film Jury Award at Sundance last year and very deservedly so. Will is an Ivorian-Ghanaian film director and screenwriter based in Montreal, Quebec. And think about that sentence for a moment: there's few like it in the English language that conjures up that many cultural influences in 13 words. And the best way to describe Will's films is that he brings all of those together into pure artistry.

If the interview feels short, blame me. The Future of Film press person asked, will 20 minutes be fine, and I stupidly said yes and regretted the decision fifteen seconds into the interview.

On your next film, Will, I won't make that mistake again, trust me.

In this episode, Will and I talk about:

how he describes his award-winning Sundance film;
its evolution from a lighthearted comedy to a love letter for his father;
if the prestigious awards it earned changes his mind about making a short;
how he got started in filmmaking;
the concept of taste versus talent;
what's next for him.

Will's Indie Film/Filmmaker Highlight: PARADISE (2025) dir. by Jérémy Comte; MY FATHER'S SHADOW (2025) dir. by Akinola Davies Jr; Harley Francis; Zion Saffer; Samuel Caron

Memorable Quotes:

"[My wife told me] you have to talk about your grief. And my grief felt personal."

" This is what a short film has done for me, so I can never recommend against it."

Links:

Follow Will On Instagram

Buy Tickets For JAZZ INFERNAL at The Future Of Film Showcase