Our Chief Editor, Sam Abuya, recently interviewed Rehanna Ngom, the brilliant Senegalese-born producer behind the short film The Prophecy. In this insightful conversation, she shares her journey in the world of film, her inspirations, and what it takes to bring powerful stories to life. Here’s part one of that interview.
AGN: Your journey spans multiple continents – growing up in Senegal, studying in America and Europe, and working with major institutions like Studio Canal UK. While briefly telling us about yourself, how have these diverse experiences influenced your approach to filmmaking?
Rehanna: I am grateful to have been able to travel a lot in my life. It has opened my eyes to landscapes, people and culture. I do have the soul of a wanderer and I try to reflect that in my films. More than just aesthetics, I love working with people from different backgrounds—it makes the creative process richer and more meaningful. The team on The Prophecy brought together an exceptionally diverse group, featuring talent from seven different nationalities spread between America, Africa, Asia and Europe. Technology also plays a big role in how I see and make films. It is what keeps us all connected, and without it, so many of these collaborations wouldn’t even be possible.
AGN: Rehanna Ngom, you’re a producer, writer, and director – a true creative powerhouse. Let’s start with your journey. What inspired you to pursue film?
Rehanna: What drew me to film was the desire to give people a moment of escape—to help them feel seen, understood, and inspired. That’s what film did for me when confronted with the culture shock and solitude that came with constantly being on the move. It became a way for me to find a connection with the characters on the screen, which I was missing in real life.
How did your studies in International Relations shape your storytelling?
Rehanna: My background in international relations shapes the way I present my work. Seeing how black communities evolve and adapt in an ever-changing world has opened my eyes to a sociocultural perspective of the world—both in Africa and the diaspora. I explore themes like violence against women, the intergenerational impact of colonialism, and the complex relationship between modernity and tradition.
AGN: Before we dive into The Prophecy, tell us: What draws you to filmmaking? Was there a defining moment when you knew this was your calling?
Rehanna: The moment I knew filmmaking was my calling was when I experienced culture shock for the first time. I had left Senegal to live in Miami, a city completely different from what I had imagined. I didn’t know anyone, and the gap between who I was and trying to express that to people who spoke a different language was incredibly frustrating.
I’ll never forget how lost I felt – 80% of conversations went over my head because they were full of references I didn’t understand! But cinema became my bridge to connection. Through the stories on screen, I felt less alone. I could spend hours immersed in films, finding comfort in characters and narratives. That’s when I decided to pursue a minor in film studies at my university.
AGN: You’ve worked with major studios like Studio Canal UK and NGOs like Save The Children. How have these experiences influenced the themes and messages in your films?
Rehanna: These two experiences had very different impacts on me. The first opened my eyes to the business and marketing side of cinema – something I had never considered before. For me, filmmaking has always been about art. However, being introduced to this very real side of the industry still serves me today as I navigate producing and distributing my own films while managing my career.
The second experience, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. The financial part wasn’t the heart of it, the only goal was to make something to raise awareness about the situation of people who truly needed it. It taught me how to address important issues with care and sensitivity, a lesson that continues to shape my approach to storytelling.
AGN: The Prophecy is deeply rooted in horror and African folklore, but it also explores mental health themes like anxiety and trauma. What drew you to this story, and why did you tell it through horror?
Rehanna: I chose horror to capture the imagination of the five-year-old me who would hear scary stories and struggle to sleep at night. Tales of spirits that see you even when you can’t see them—they terrified me but also fascinated me. I have a vivid imagination and dream a lot, sometimes involving nightmares. In a way, exploring horror as a filmmaker is my way of healing that part of me. It’s me making peace with what once scared me. Mental health is also a subject close to my heart. Like everyone, I’ve had my struggles, but in Africa, mental health remains taboo – often linked to the spiritual in a way that can demonise it. Through my films, I want to shine a light on these issues, telling stories where protagonists confront their deepest fears, only to realise they are stronger than what haunts them. In the end, horror becomes a path to healing.
AGN: The protagonist, Tabara, is a Senegalese immigrant in America who embarks on a journey back to Africa to find healing. How much of Tabara’s story is inspired by personal experiences or observations?
Rehanna: Tabara’s story is deeply personal, inspired by my own experience as a Senegalese woman searching for her identity while navigating multiple cultural influences. Growing up, I was often called a “toubab bu niul” or a “bounty,” (black outside, white inside) which made me feel different—like the way I was expressing my identity wasn’t Senegalese enough. But when I was abroad, I also felt out of place. Through my travels and conversations with other Black individuals, I realised that this struggle with identity is something we all share in different ways. For some, tracing their roots is difficult because of slavery. For others, defining who they are today is complicated by the lasting effects of colonisation and media imperialism.
At its core, African identity today is deeply multicultural, and navigating that can feel like being pulled in different directions. That’s what I explore through Tabara’s journey.
AGN: The film was shot in New York and Senegal. How did you balance these two locations to capture Tabara’s transformation visually and emotionally?
Rehanna: I intentionally made the scenes in New York darker and colder to reflect Tabara’s depressed mental state. All the dream sequences take place in America and have a very meta feel—she’s always indoors, almost trapped. One of my favourite shots in the film uses a fisheye lens, reinforcing the theme of technology and modernity shaping her life in America.
In Senegal, however, she is transported into an old world – one that represents tradition and origins, a place where she hopes to draw strength. The visuals are filled with nature—nature, nature, nature. Even the supernatural elements feel deeply organic: roots, oils, trance states, earthquakes, and raw power. They reflect the thin line between reality and the supernatural in the African imaginary, a world Tabara is slowly immersing herself in.
As she starts embracing The Prophecy and the healing ritual, her transformation becomes visible – she begins wearing braids and a djelaba, symbolizing her growing connection with her African identity.
Part two of this interview with Rehanna Ngom is coming soon…
