Kamasi Washington has released a short film titled AS TOLD TO G/D THYSELF featuring songs from his 2018 album Heaven and Earth. The Los Angeles saxophonist and composer co-directed the 22-minute piece as part of a newly formed five-member collective dubbed The Umma Chroma that includes Bradford Young, Terence Nance, Jenn Nkiru, and Marc Thomas. The film is currently available to stream on Apple Music after debuting at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
Washington told Apple Music that the film is inspired by “the journey to understanding that you can shape the world into what you want it to be.” He added, “I wanted it to feel loose enough that people could create their own story within the story. It’s kind of like pieces of a puzzle that you can rearrange in different ways.”
Washington previously released videos for the Heaven and Earthi tracks “Fists of Fury,” “The Space Traveler’s Lullaby,” and “Street Fighter Mas.” The Umma Chroma’s other credits are worth noting, too. Young most recently served as the director of photography for last year’s Star Wars spin-off Solo and worked in the same capacity on Selma, Arrival, and A Most Violent Year. Nance co-created HBO’s brilliant sketch series Random Acts of Flyness and co-directed Earl Sweatshirt’s January short film, Nowhere, Nobody.
You can watch ASTOLD TO G/D THYSELF here.
