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Airdrie actor starring in post-apocalyptic indie film

An Airdrie actor is one of the stars in an upcoming indie film production that explores humanity in a post-apocalyptic world.

Susan Kamunya, a 20-year-old University of Calgary student, is co-starring in Father of Nations – a film about the last few survivors on Earth, years after a catastrophic event has nearly wiped out humanity.

“The movie never really specifies the exact events that caused the end of the world, and focuses, instead, more on the individual stories of the characters,” Kamunya said.

“[It’s about] human experience, and what people do to survive when they’re stripped of everything.”

The dystopian film, directed by Aleisha Anderson and produced by Calgary-based Thousand Year Films, was shot near Brooks, Calgary, the Badlands near Drumheller, and other parts of Alberta. The film is billed by its producer as “Book of Eli meets Mad Max: Fury Road.”

“It’s different from other movies in that it doesn’t focus on zombies at the end of the world, or really big bombings,” Kamunya said. “I think it’s just a story of human experience.”

Kamunya plays Abidemi, a 10-year-old girl who is struggling to survive the post-apocalyptic wasteland alongside her father, Ibrahim, played by Ed Ogum.

Playing a much younger character presented various challenges as an actor, according to Kamunya, who said she had to tap into the naiveté, but also the innocence of Abidemi.

“It’s not like I’m old and wise, but I think I’m pretty far removed from a 10-year-old,” she said. “You have to go back to a head space of how children think – they might not understand everything. My character was kind of born into the end of the world, so she has a different perspective from everyone else, because this is just regular life to her.

“So, I also have to be in the mindset where I’m a child, but I’m used to everything that is going on.”

Kamunya, who has lived in Airdrie for four years and graduated from Bert Church High School, said her interest in acting emerged when she was a child, mimicking TV commercials and characters. She said she also took part in theatre in elementary and junior high school.

But it wasn’t until she turned 16, she said, that she started to take the craft more seriously, and started auditioning for roles in films. While Father of Nations is her first speaking role, she has done background work, as well as theatre projects.

“Everything about me and who I am kind of just disappears when I get into the head space of a character,” she said.

“You get into the head space where you’re truly in the moment, and nothing else about who ‘Susan’ is really matters. You just think about who the character is.”

Kamunya added she loves film as a platform for storytelling.

“It really draws people in – you can watch a film and forget about anything that is going on,” she said.

“You sit there in the moment and enjoy a story that feels so real.”

Filming for Father of Nations started in late September and wrapped Oct. 27. According to Kamunya, the film’s limited theatrical release date is scheduled for fall 2020.

Visit thousandyearfilms.com for more information on Father of Nations and its release date.

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