Newark, NJ - In Part 1 of our interview with Newark native and Howard University filmmaker Opoku “OpotheBoat” Boateng, we sat down with Set Designer Lillian “Phoenyx” Ojo, and Gaffer and Sound Mixer, Isaiah “Konté” Conte. Together, the trio discussed their goals and approach in developing their first 20-minute short film, "Apple Cider - A Parable of Black Love", a character-driven drama that explores ideas of Black love as three youths face their shared family trauma.

For Part 2 of our interview, Opoku stuck around with Phoenyx to reveal more about himself as an artist and upcoming work with their production company,Opo’s Canon. They also shared the challenges they faced making “Apple Cider,” the lessons they learned about themselves and each other during the production, and what film and storytelling mean to them as young artists living in New Jersey.

Newark, NJ - Opoku “OpotheBoat” Boateng is a Ghanaian-American filmmaker who recently released his first 20-minute short film, "Apple Cider - A Parable of Black Love". Released on YouTube on March 10th, 2025, “Apple Cider” was written and directed by Opoku, who also stars as one of its three main characters. The film centers around a young trio who struggle to reconnect as a family as their shared family traumas continue to take root in the present.

Trenton, NJ – Governor Phil Murphy’s proposed 2026 budget spells bad news for local news, with funding to New Jersey Public Broadcasting (NJ PBS) being quartered from $1 million to $250,000, and the complete elimination of funding for the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium. The Consortium, which was established through state legislation signed by Murphy in 2018, received $3 million in funding in the 2025 budget. With that funding now slashed to zero, the Consortium and its dozens of grantee news organizations are unrelentingly advocating for the governor and the legislature to rethink the budget supporting independent and public media.

Newark, NJ – Established by the Smithsonian Institution in 2001 to highlight and celebrate the rich history of jazz music and its cultural significance, Jazz Appreciation Month was chosen to coincide with the birth month of one of jazz's most iconic figures, Duke Ellington. The purpose of Jazz Appreciation Month is to honor jazz as a uniquely American art form and to acknowledge its global influence.

Newark, NJ - Public Square Amplified continued its conversation with Dr. Cofield, asking her to draw parallels between past and present racist practices and to share her thoughts on whether today’s generation has the ability to organize, protest, and effectively fight for their rights.

Newark, NJ - Dr. Willa Cofield describes Enfield, the North Carolina town where she was born and raised, as a close-knit community shaped by familial ties, shared cultural norms, a spirit of entrepreneurship, and the Black church as its anchor.

Public Square Amplified sat down with Cofield to learn more about how she fought for civil rights, and how present-day advocates can learn from her strategies and be inspired by her quiet ferocity.

Newark, NJ - In the Part 2 conclusion of that interview, Zeni talks about the joys of filmmaking, her upcoming projects, the intersection of journalism and filmmaking, and what movies she enjoys watching as an up-and-comer in the industry.

Newark, NJ - Fatimah Zeni is a Syrian American filmmaker who recently released her first short feature, “Amal,” a character-driven drama centering on a father and daughter and the unique way in which they cope with incoming bombs in Aleppo, Syria.

Maung’s Meanwhile in Jersey City mural stands around the corner from an elementary school. Its inscription reads: “This mural is not just Ms. Marvel. It is the representation and power that comes with her. It is for the kids of Jersey City to take up space both metaphorically in the media, but also physically on the walls of Jersey City.”