CHALLENGE
SINKING SANDS, feature length psychological drama written and directed by Africa Movie Academy-winner Leila Djansi, is about a couple, Jimah (Jimmy Jean-Louis) and Pabi (Ama K. Abebrese), in a loving marriage which turns into one of violence and abuse when Jimah becomes disfigured in a domestic accident. With successful completion and ready for release, the film did not have film distribution in the United States or any other market in the world.
OUR WORK
Eaddy Perry &Associates, Inc.’s United States publicity strategy was to create consumer anticipation of the film and ultimately having targeted publics dictate what they want to see as entertainment, resulting in a theatrical distribution deal in the North America territory, concentrating on the United States. Based on a publicity campaign for feature-length drama SINKING SANDS, we targeted the African Diaspora, specifically African, African Americans, Haitians, West Indians, and Afro-Latinos, and victims and advocates of domestic violence, placing emphasis on metropolitan cities New York, Los Angeles, Washington, Chicago, Boston, Houston, Detroit, and Atlanta.
We garnered heavy digital press hits on trade and consumer websites and blogs, as well as traditional long and short lead press (international/national/local magazines and newspapers) The tools and tactics used were: the press kits consisting of press releases, production notes, bios, and clips; pitch banks which contained stories that are based on the film’s subject matter, unique elements of the cast and crew, and industry specific facts; two film screenings, VIP and media, that also included consumer tastemakers for targeted grassroots audience in attendance, and desk-side junkets with the director, key cast members, and invited production crew.
Most notable is the world debut VIP screening of the film in Ghana at the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons Auditorium in Accra, Ghana. This event set the benchmark for the United States publicity campaign, as we secured an endorsement from UNIFEM Ghana, which was in line with its Say NO! to Violence campaign championed by Hollywood actress Nicole Kidman. Producing the entire event, we handled the following: pre-event/event management, program planning, partnership facilitation with United Nations Ghana, red-carpet design, set-up, and management, check-in management, guest curation to include VIPs (diplomates, government officials, and industry insiders), covering media pitching and securing for event coverage (local/international, television, print, and radio media), speech writing, and collateral material (program and step and repeat) design and printing.
Our United States partnerships with battered women’s shelters gave us our grassroots tie we needed to tap heavy databases to do a drip campaign. We built up the anticipation for the movie through a series of email blasts that called consumers to action through education. The drip campaign interfaced with media relations and social networking efforts using the targeted databases. The social networking outlets used were Facebook, Twitter, citizen journalists, and social media releases (SMR) for online bloggers.
In addition to EP&A providing unit publicist and post production public relations counsel, public relations counsel was provided for the Africa Movie Academy Awards and Cannes Film Market.
RESULTS
SINKING SANDS was released 2010 in Ghana; received 12 nominations and won four (Best Picture, Best Art Direction, Best Wardrobe, and Best West African Collaboration) Ghana Movie Awards in 2010; 10 nominations, to include Best Picture, and won three (Best Make-up, Best Screenplay, and Best Actress in a Leading Role) Africa Movie Academy Awards in 2011, and participated in the 2011 Cannes Film Market, Cannes, France. SINKING SANDS also screened at: 2011 CinemAfrica Film Festival in Stockholm; 2011 Pan Africa Film Festival in Los Angeles, and 2011 Cannes Marche Du Film in Cannes, France.
The film received a limited theatrical distribution deal with Landmark, an art house theater chain, to screen in Atlanta, Washington, New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. All screenings showed to 50 to75 percent paid capacity for each showing. Post theatrical release a deal to broadcast on the Africa Channel was secured. Coverage by BBC and Reuters proved influential in bringing awareness to the film as well as domestic violence within the African culture. CNN named SINKING SANDS one of the top 10 must-see African movies of the 21st century.
