Return to Nature: An inside look at the new film by Opo’s Canon

Fresh off the release of Apple Cider - A Parable of Black Love, Newark filmmaker Opoku “OpotheBoat” Boateng has returned with a new short film, Return to Nature. This upcoming project is based on a poem of the same name by Brooklyn writer Warren Edwards, a security officer at the Guggenheim Museum and the founder of the arts and entertainment company Create Matter.

Opoku is the director and producer of his upcoming short film, working once again with his team at Opo’s Canon. His crew includes Set Designer/Makeup Artist Lillian “Phoenyx” Ojo, Gaffer and Sound Mixer Isaiah “Konté” Conte, and Chef Garai Caruth.

Warren’s poem, Return to Nature, is told from the point of view of a woman who expresses her feelings of acceptance, safety, and connection as she enters nature’s embrace, disappearing into it. 

Opoku interprets the poem as an internal dialogue of a woman removing herself from the pressure and “constraints” imposed by society, which expects her to conform to beauty standards and serve others for free, “revealing themselves to be something that is beautiful and free.” He argues this is a reflection of Create Matter’s brand, which aims to highlight the beauty in everything.

“My goal is to prove that art is everywhere and art is for everyone, and art can lead us to evolve as human beings…,”  Warren said about Create Matter. “I'm giving a forum to all creators from all walks of life, and just to show and prove that art is everywhere and that is shared by everyone.”

Opoku first met Warren at an art show in Harlem, which he stumbled upon while searching for a wine vendor for his screening of Apple Cider in Brooklyn. Opoku and Warren bonded over their similar goals as artists, both hoping to provide a space for artists to express themselves and share their creativity with everyone through their respective companies.

From a young age, Warren loved the power of words, studying dictionaries and breaking down their meanings and origins. This passion eventually led him to found Create Matter in 2024. Warren stated that his goal with his company is to connect with people artistically” and to “share a narrative of process and creation.”

“When we met [Warren] at first, it was actually kind of cool…,” said Opoku, “The whole thing just kind of came together, like with the two different mission statements of Create Matter and Opo’s Canon aligning. So that was dope.”

From there, the duo began working on their video poem, Return of Nature, with Warren serving as an executive producer.

Warren revealed that the poem Return to Nature was itself based on a painting by Priscilla P. that he had commissioned, depicting a nude woman standing among the greenery of nature, symbolically revealing her true self to it.

Warren was inspired to work on this new project by a conversation he had with two of his “feminist” friends. Hearing them express their desire to “return to nature” to avoid dealing with reality, Warren wrote his poem about “nature being fed up with reality” and turning its back on everyone, forcing them to fend for themselves.

“So my thing is to try to connect people back together,” Warren said about his poem, “to note as we the people, in order to form a more perfect union, and I believe in that, and I want us to come together to evolve humanity so we can protect nature.”

Per Warren’s request, Opoku and his crew of seven people worked to have the woman in the painting come to life in the forest on-camera for their short film. The production faced multiple challenges, from scouting forest locations in New Jersey to working outside in intense heat and having to make a sudden casting change for the film. 

Photos (left to right): 1. The painting, Return to Nature, on a film production set; 2. Opoku “OpotheBoat” Boateng walking with a film crew through a forest. Photo credits for 1 & 2: Opo’s Canon. 3. (L-R) Isaiah “Konté” Conte, Lillian “Phoenyx” Ojo, Opoku “OpotheBoat” Boateng, and Garai Caruth posing for a photo in Express Newark on July 20, 2025. 4. (L-R) Garai Caruth, Lillian “Phoenyx” Ojo, Opoku “OpotheBoat” Boateng, and Isaiah “Konté” Conte posing for a photo in Express Newark on July 20, 2025. Photo Credits for 3 & 4: Anthony Orlando for Public Square Amplified

Nevertheless, Opoku said Return to Nature’s production was “super well-flowing,” as everyone involved was willing to help each other while “still knowing how to stay in their lane.” Opoku also claims that working with Warren was “really dope,” admiring his passion and commitment to creating art while still trusting the team at Opo’s Canon as an executive producer.

“People like Warren, it really showed he cared [about art],” said Opoku. “He cared not even just about the art and getting his name out, but he cared more about the mission that he's working for.”

Likewise, Warren said it was “fun” working with Opoku on Return to Nature, calling him a “great artistic advisor” and expressing respect for his energy and creative vision.

While Opo’s Canon is still editing Return to Nature, Warren hopes to release this video poem by September 2025. In the meantime, Warren remains busy with an upcoming poetry slam and projects for a couple of Create Matter's clients, including a contemporary art contest. With so much on the horizon, Warren has found happiness expressing himself as a writer and an artist.

“We get distracted by life and things. But in wisdom, you start it, you start to learn more about yourself,” said Warren. “You start not giving so much energy to things that don't really matter, and conserving that energy, nurturing it, and letting it become a creative process. So this is where I'm at now. I'm really happy where I'm at and the space that I'm at now, knowing that I can learn who I am and express that freely, without feeling any barriers.

More videos by Opo’s Canon are available on the company’s YouTube channel.

More videos by Warren Edwards are available on Create Matter’s YouTube channel.

Return to Nature is expected to premiere in September 2025. Public Square Amplified will follow this news story as it unfolds.