African Giants

10/25/2024

The immigrant experience is different for everyone who goes through it, though there are some commonalities, too, regardless of where one hails from. And the impact of this experience doesn’t end with those who make the journey from elsewhere; it also affects the first generation of children born to those who immigrated, particularly in their struggle to dutifully honor their heritage while assimilating into the domestic culture of their new homeland. Those are among the issues addressed in writer-director Omar Kamara’s debut feature, the story of two American-born sons of immigrants from Sierra Leone who spend a long weekend together in Los Angeles. Alhaji (Dillon Daniel Mutyaba), the elder brother, is an aspiring actor seeking to make his big break, while Sheku (Omete Anassi), his junior