In conversation with young Ghanian American filmmaker Opoku | Q & A on “Apple Cider”

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.

Lillian “Phoenyx” Ojo, Opoku “OpotheBoat” Boateng, and Isaiah “Konté” Conte at Express Newark on Friday, May 16th, 2025. Image/Video credit: Anthony Orlando for Public Square Amplified.

Opoku is the founder of Opo’s Canon, an audio/visual production company in Newark that is designed to center the long history of Black filmmaking and explore the rich tapestry of contemporary Black life. 

Opoku sat down with Public Square Amplified’s Anthony Orlando to discuss his new film, the challenges of being a young Black filmmaker in New Jersey, and the power of using cinema to bring his worldview to audiences far and wide. Joining him are Apple Cider’s Set Designer and one of its Lead Stylists, Lillian “Phoenyx” Ojo, as well as the movie’s Gaffer and Sound Mixer, Isaiah “Konté” Conte, who discussed their experiences collaborating on the film.

Public Square Amplified: All right. Today, I'm here with Phoenyx, Opo, and Conte. Thank you all so much for coming here today. Thank you. All right. Now to get started. Please tell us a little bit about the film, what Apple Cider means to you.

Opoku: So Apple Cider is our short. Our first-ever short film. You know, we've done projects, videos, and whatnot before, actually. Yes. That's, that's a way to go. Basically, it's the first ever, like, 20-minute film, you know? It's a parable on Black love, and it centers more so in a familial context. 

I guess I would say like it was kind of like a big thing for us because it was definitely like not only our first project, but we are like all different places of the diaspora and whatnot. And the film was kind of… it was really telling about basically, just like shared family tropes that a lot of us kind of go through because of, I’d say trauma through the diaspora.

PSA: What was your goal in developing this film?

Opoku: My goal with developing this film was to try my best to show people how…kind of highlighting issues within what we consider Black love to be. And then from there, like, not the issues with it, but just more so the perspectives of it, like, well, okay, “What does Black love look like and why is it like? Why is there so much turmoil within it?” 

So I figured that by creating a film where it was like, you're able to really highlight each perspective and really kind of break away from the whole “antagonist versus protagonist," but more so like, “Ah, these are all valid points,” and they kind of create a space, and that's why this space is confusing. Not because the points are valid, but because they don't know how to talk to each other.

PSA: How do you want people to connect with the story in this film? I mean, what ways were you trying to forge those connections with the way you made it?

Opoku: I guess I'm just kind of confused because of the word “how.” Like you're saying, like, for example. Right. “How?” The first thing that comes to mind is like, although it's a 20 minute film, I was very big on understanding that, like, there's people who just for so many reasons, might not want to watch a 20 minute film that's not a blockbuster movie, you know what I'm saying?

So because of that thinking, okay, how can I do this? While… before we even shoot the film, but we know we're going to shoot the film. I'm about to bust out and like, you know, work my mind and try to figure out how we can get this three part EP out so that the three part EP can still be used to be like, “Oh,” people can relate to the music because some people like music more than film.

But then, as they relate to the music, they’re like, “Where’s this coming from? Oh, it's connected to a film. Oh, oh.” And then from there… I feel like once you see the film, you're gonna connect to it because of just how much I believe in the way I wrote it, I feel like a lot of people who are diaspora folk and just also people with family will relate to the story.

(Left) Opoku “OpotheBoat” Boateng as Kojo and (Right) Jalese Ayana as Victoria and Tanaka Maria as Lola in Apple Cider - A Parable of Black Love. Image credits: Opo’s Canon.

PSA: Question for you, Phoenyx. Much of Apple Cider takes place in a single room. I mean, did these limitations restrict your ability to design the set, or did they broaden your mind and help you think outside the box? Or in this case, outside the room? 

Phoenyx: Um… I mean, well, yeah, I, I didn't really think of it too much of a confine. Actually, I thought it made my job a little easier. Like I said, we worked on a film prior to that, and I was, I had to dress a couple different rooms in that apartment, so, like, keeping it in one space was,  like, really nice. 

It was a fun way to just kind of get creative and have people notice a bit more about, like, the characters backgrounds and where they were coming from through, like, specific props that I, placed into this space, or even just kind of like that feeling of like, you know, you’re just moving into the space, so it's a little cluttered. 

It is like a box randomly here, like the lighting is a little, like, awkward because we may not have the, you know, lighting setup. You know I mean? Like, you're just moving in. Um… so, I kind of, like, allowed it to be a little bit more freeform. And also, I think if I remember correctly, the film took place at night, but we were shooting during the day, so like that was like a whole other thing…

But yeah, that was, it was, it was just fun to just like really create like a little ecosystem for those characters to live and like really hear their stories.

PSA: Good news. Conte, the next question is specifically for you. In your bio, you're described as a “Sound Savant. Tell us a little bit about that. I mean, what inspired you to develop the music and sounds for this film, and what was your goal when making them? 

Konté: Really just, you know, being a part of the Canon, and ever since I've been working with Opo, we've had this kind of like a, you know. “Oh, my African brother,” right? You know what I’m saying? Like my brother from another continent. So when I, you know, when I got the chance to work on the film and I was really…you know, when you're doing editing sound, you have to listen to the scenes over and over and over again.

You know, I was just like internalizing the whole script and seeing everything play out, and it just really resonated with me from like a, you know, the diasporic sense and like, “Oh, I understand this same feeling,” but, you know, from my side of the pond and just being able to, like, resonate with that feeling was a big part in understanding the soundscape that I had to come up with.

And then also, you know, they sent me some references of, like, Nollywood films and… different videos and stuff to watch to kind of understand that more, like, that sense of the audio, because I'm thinking about it from like a, “Oh, it has to be super polished, like, like the big blockbuster films that they do over here.” But no, they're showing me different stuff of like, “Oh no,” you can have like a random sound effect turned up to like— 

Opoku: You actually need that. 

Konté: Yeah, no, no, it's very vital to the story. You have that “boing!” very loud in the background. So just stuff like that was helpful in understanding, and I say, “Sound Savant” because ever since I was little, you know, just being able to incorporate all those different, like, ambiances and different things that people don't necessarily recognize as musical into my productions have made it, so it's relatable to other people and they don't even understand why, really.

PSA: Well, yeah, and I think it really, helped the film stand out. I mean, based on what you said, it really, helped to really connect with the audience. I mean, like, even if they haven't stuck around for, like, the whole film. It was just like, you know, once you hear the music. Like, it really draws them out…I think it really turned out well in the end.

Konté: Word, thank you.

PSA: Conte, so before you go, do you have anything else you'd like to share? I mean, do you have any other projects you want other people to hear about?

Konté: Me and my clients, you know, what we're doing a live music show, a podcast coming up starting in June. All right. Be on the lookout for it. 

Opoku: We got a couple of Canon events coming up this summer, basically. So it's like, definitely check us out on the page. Check on the website @Opo_Canon. You can find that.

PSA: Thank you so much. 

We had so much to talk about with Opoku, Phoenyx, and Konté, that we had to save it for Part 2.