Under clear blue skies and inside haunting interiors, a Ghanaian couple moves across the city of Accra in a lyrical film celebrating self-expression, elegance and African pride. Boston-born filmmaker Sékou Neblett shares his vision of a new Black experience born from the reinvigorated spirit of self-determination.

“Like many African Americans, I grew up with a highly fetishized image of Africa, a continent of kings and queens, perpetually adorned in Zulu, Nubian or Egyptian royal garb—a Black utopia,” says Neblett. “But once I had the chance to travel to Africa and visit Ghana as a 19-year-old I quickly realized that I was not a prodigal son arriving at some fairytale homeland, but instead a welcomed stranger in a layered and complex society. From that day on, I never stopped rediscovering the African Continent and my growing relationship to it.”

With filming taking place in Ghana’s coastal slave castles, bustling markets bordered by ancestral forests, and unfinished building projects, the couple reunite in each distinct location as a visual homage to the country’s past, present and future.

“A lot has changed in the perception of Africa since the early nineties,” says the director. “Once disregarded as a sleeping giant with little more to offer than natural resources, modern Africa, with its overwhelmingly young population, has emerged onto the world stage with newfound confidence.”

This new era of the African vanguard is succinctly expressed by Across the Sun’s male lead, Nana Kwasi Wiafe. The Ghanaian designer and creative entrepreneur recently found international success after completing styling work for the Beyoncé, Shatta Wale and Major Lazor music video, “Already”, which centers African talent and creativity.

“These moments of emergence are powerful but usually followed by daunting challenges,” Neblett continues. As Ghana and many other African countries enter a new chapter of self-actualization, Neblett describes “it is the rhythm of the ebb and flow of sleeping and awaking I sought to capture with Across the Sun.”