Award-Winning Director Kelley Kali talks about her latest project Jagged Mind (ABFF 2023 Opening Film) + tomorrow’s HULU network premiere

Kelley Kali is a multifaceted award-winning director with a true passion for storytelling. Her recent project Jagged Mind with 20^th Digital Studios and Hulu Originals premiered today at the American Black Film Festival and will be exclusively available to watch on Hulu tomorrow. The psychological horror thriller is centered around Billie. She is plagued by blackouts and strange visions that lead her to discover she’s stuck in a series of time loops, possibly related to her mysterious new girlfriend. 

Cox: Kelley, before we get into Jagged Mind, I want to know more about you as a director, writer, and producer. Where does your love for storytelling originate? 

Kali: For me, it comes from old-fashioned storytelling. My father was a pastor, and I grew up hearing stories from across the pulpit. He was a storyteller who would tell them in our house too. Everything had a story. Have you ever seen the film Big Fish? The movie is about a father who tells his son these big fish stories, and the son just wishes he would stop and tell the truth for once. The son goes on this journey and discovers that the rumors are true. That’s how it was for me with my father growing up. I would swear he was telling these big fish stories, and I never believed him. But later, I would meet some of his old friends, who would confirm that the stories were actually true. 

Cox: That’s such a beautiful story. What do you consider old-fashioned storytelling? 

Kali: Old-fashioned storytelling is just words and no images. And that’s what got me hooked. I earned my degree in anthropology with a focus on archeology from Howard University. In anthropology, you must recognize the story and history of humankind in any context. 

Cox: Because of archeology, you have your peak interest in filmmaking, right? 

Kali: Yes, it was during a time when I was doing an excavation, and this film crew had come out to create a documentary. They needed to understand what we were doing or the story behind it. So, I sat down with them and wrote a list of questions for them to consider for the documentary. I didn’t realize that, in essence, I was writing the script. I was writing the story. And this film went on to win a lot of awards. 

Cox: As a filmmaker and storyteller, what do you look for in a project? What are things you consider essential to convey to an audience? 

Kali: For me personally, I tend to tell stories that have social issues in them. That’s the mix of my upbringing with my father and my study in anthropology. And even when I’m doing a genre film, I’m hiding things there for you to discover while entertained. I can’t help myself! 

Cox: Jenna Cavelle, as the film’s producer, brought you on the project. What was it like working together on such a groundbreaking film as film school colleagues? 

Cavelle: It felt like home. We have shorthand. I know Kelley so well that I could tell what she needed even before she did. Also, because we were in the trenches together in film school, there was nothing I wouldn’t do for her.  Once, there was a moment when we were chasing light and we couldn’t figure out how to get a ceiling fan to stop, so I ran into the room, stood on the bed, and held the fan blades until they quit. I didn’t even think about what I was doing; I just did it. That’s the kind of thing I do for Kelley; that’s the kind of film school comradery that she brings out in me.  

Cox: How was it working with 20th Digital Studio on this project? 

Kali: Working with the team was great because it was a collaborative and supportive environment. The executives at 20th Digital Studio really listened to me and my ideas. This time I wanted to cast an authentic Haitian Creole as the character of Rose. I was determined to get this for the film, which I ultimately did, and they respected my request and pursuit. 

Cox: How did you bring all of this together with Jagged Mind? 

Kali: So, when the film was presented to me to direct, the script had two white women living in New York, with art being a big focus. You have these two white women in this art gallery in Manhattan. I’m like, “Hold up,” because we have seen this before. I wanted to add complexity, so I made the couple interracial. I’m biracial, and I know what that looks like and the layers it adds from not just seeing myself but also seeing my parents. 

Then my anthropology background kicked in because this film has a substantial central element of magic. I was okay with filming it in New York if we had to, but I suggested we explore Louisiana. My father’s side is from New Orleans, and I grew up hearing stories and superstitions all the time, like Don’t leave your hair anywhere. Even though he was a pastor, all of that was in our DNA. It’s in our blood going back to the African diaspora for all of us within the community, regardless of whether we are Christians. 

Cox: Ultimately, the film takes place in Miami. 

Kali: They loved where I was going with it and the pitch, and then our producer suggested we move it to Miami. I said we had to do it in Little Haiti if we were going to Miami. This was that anthropology in me again. I wanted to ensure that if we were going to make this move, we had to provide this magical element that wasn’t seen as voodoo. 

Cox: Why was making sure it wasn’t seen as voodoo necessary? You know, in most films and TV shows, that’s what they go for when they think of a place with Creole and Haitian heritage. 

Kali: Because voodoo is a religion, it must be respected. Too often in films, they villainize it and make it seem dark and evil. That’s just not it, and that’s not what religion is about. 

Cox: Did the new Haitian element require you to make specific changes to the film? 

Kali: Once I knew we were going that route, I said we must have actual Haitian characters. We have to rewrite some things. These people have to speak Haitian Creole and not French because there’s a difference. I wanted to make sure we honored the community and did not take away from it. I love Haiti and have spent time there, shooting one of my shorts. 

I love putting people on screen who usually don’t get any attention. 

Cox: I love everything about what you did to bring light to this project. You have some hidden social awareness aspects, as we will see. 

Kali: I put things in place in the movie, which you will see, but I don’t try to force anyone to consume my ideas. I want them to form their own opinions, not mine, after watching it. Our writer, Allison, did a great job making everything feel natural. The focus was to make the story relatable and have people draw conclusions to tie it to their own life experiences. 

Cox: This movie has layers on layers, like the lesbian couple. What was your take on the LGBTQ layer of the story? 

Kali: I wanted to focus on something other than a coming-out story, like you see a lot of times in projects. Instead, you know this story of women who are okay with who they are. They are going through a couple of issues like any other couple. We start at this point with them, where you get to see them just being them. We are all human, and that’s what’s relatable about this element because, at the end of the movie, you see that even though they are a lesbian couple, they are human. And we can relate to what they went through, especially regarding dating, regardless of sexuality. 

Cox: It’s great that when it came to adding that element, you wanted to start it off at a point where we are just introduced to two women navigating life individually and as a couple. 

Kali: It’s because we aren’t monolithic regarding race, gender, and sexuality. But sometimes, in films, they like to create sensationalized versions of people and communities. And it’s time to move on from that because we need to make people human and relatable in these projects. 

Cox: Last question before you go! What’s something you think people will take away from this film? 

Kali: I hope people find some empathy or sympathy for the antagonists. She is causing a lot of things in the film, but she is also going through a lot of pain. She really just wants love. I also hope people see that we are all humans and desire love.