Interview: Andrew Dosunmu (Restless City)

We were thrilled to see Andrew Dosunmu’s latest film, Restless City, his first film since his 1999, Hot Irons, show up as part of the 2011’s AFI New Auteurs Program. Originally premiering at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, Dosunmu’s latest is a vibrant story about an African immigrant living in New York City following his passion in music. Falling in love with a girl in trouble, the trajectory of his fate becomes tinged with tragedy.

Receiving extremely positive word of mouth for its amazing cinematography and excellent performances from some young newcomers, Restless City is really Dosunmu’s love letter to New York City, where good, the bad, and the grey resides side by side and frame by frame. I was able to sit down with Dosunmu after a screening of his film at the AFI Film Festival, where we discussed immigrant stories in cinema, New York, and the difficulties in making movies and telling stories without the funding to do so. Restless City is still seeking distribution — check out the interview below.