After giving birth to a son with a cleft lip, Down syndrome and cerebral palsy, the lead character of Children of the Mountain is faced with immeasurable cruelty from her community. Actress Rukiyat Masud plays Essuman, a yam trader who is rejected by her partner and others who believe in superstitions that suggest her son’s deformity is a result of the mother’s “dirty womb.”

Tell us about your journey into filmmaking and directing. I lived in Ghana until I was 19, and all that time, I dreamed of being a star in Hollywood. I was inspired by Michael Jackson. His videos were like mini movies, and they got me dreaming about figuring out ways to make my writing come to life. I didn’t really…

Priscilla Anany’s debut film addresses the much needed conversation around how to better care for children with special needs in Ghana. Priscilla Anany’s debut, Children of the Mountain, which she wrote and directed, was awarded the Best New Narrative Director at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival. The film centres around Essuman (Rukiyat Masud) and her child Nuku (Jessica Dablo) who is born with Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy…

How can you use a fictional story to teach your audience about critical issues, while keeping them engrossed in the narrative? Ghanaian writer-director Priscilla Anany knows about that balance, as displayed in her debut feature Children of the Mountain. The film follows Essuman (Rukiyat Masud), a young mother in Ghana’s capital of Accra whose son is born with a cleft palate…