90 League of gods With writer and director Kameko Tarnez
Ahead of its 2020 release, we caught up with Kameko Tarnez, writer and director
of Protector of the Gods, Hollywood’s first all-black cast Egyptian trilogy film.
Glamour: The film follows the lives of three of Egypt’s most powerful female pharaohs. Why was it important to tell these stories from a distinctly African perspective? Kameko tarnez: The stories of Hatshepsut, Nefertiti and Cleopatra have always resonated with me, and I felt it was important to write about these historical women from an African perspective because I was raised by strong black women, and I feel that Hollywood’s depiction of women of colour, in general, has been very limited. I wanted to contribute to broadening the scope. I also felt it was important for moviegoers to see the rich culture of Africa, not just through the lens of slavery.
Glamour: Tell us about the decision to collaborate with actor-producer Hill Harper and singer-songwriter Rhonda Ross. Kt: I’ve always been a huge fan of both Hill Harper and Rhonda Ross. Hill is the personification of a strong black man and I chose to work with him because of his continuous efforts to uplift black culture. Rhonda is such a magical being. I felt it was only fitting to have the daughter of entertainment royalty join the production team in support of Hollywood’s first all-black Egyptian trilogy. It’s been such an honour working with them thus far, and I’m so thankful that they took a leap of faith to support me on this journey.
Glamour: How do you envision the character of Cleopatra?
Kt: I don’t envision Cleopatra the way that Hollywood has depicted her in the past. The story that she communicated through me is entirely different. For me, she was the most complex of the three historical figures to write about. I was truly fascinated by her journey, and I cry for her every time I read the story.
Glamour: You’ve begun shooting and auditioning for key roles.
What has the process been like? Kt: The process has been intense; I haven’t gotten very much sleep. However, it’s also been extremely rewarding to see my vision come to fruition. And I’ve met some extraordinary talent through this.
Glamour: Tell us about the costumes – the inspiration and team behind wardrobe.
Kt: I’m a big fan of Afro-futurism and the traditional garbs of ancient Egypt, which was the inspiration behind the wardrobe. I’ve also been developing my own fashion line, so I wanted to be very involved in the wardrobe design process. My in-house design team and I decided to bring in wardrobe concept artist Phillip Boutte Jr to collaborate with us. Plus we have some major fashion houses that we’re in talks with to collaborate on some of the film’s key wardrobe pieces. Overall, you should expect the unexpected.
Glamour: Who else is involved in the project?
Kt: One of our key producers, who has supported this project from its infancy stages, is actor and musician Christian Jones, brother to Grace Jones.
Glamour: Can you give us the exclusive scoop about the cast? Kt: We have an amazing cast thus far, including some major Hollywood icons that will be announced at a later date. One Hollywood treasure that I can mention is Phyllis Yvonne Stickney. Ebonee Davis will star as Hatshepsut in volume one of the films. Other cast members include Alton Mason, Terria Joseph, who is a brilliant actress and mother to music icon Alicia Keys, Tobias Truvillion, Yahzarah and your 2018 Glamour Woman of the Year winner Thokozani Ndaba. ➻
Glamour: How long has this project been in the making?
Kt: I wrote the novels that are attached to the film eight years ago, and I started on the screenplays four years ago after completing the comic book.
Glamour: There’s a wealth of stories in Egypt, and in the African continent at large. There is also so much that’s been written out of history when it comes to the African continent. Can you share more about the research that’s been done in the continent to uncover unknown stories?
Kt: I’ve spent several months in Egypt researching the rich history, and I’ve done an extensive amount of reading. From the information gathered, I was able to create my Afro-futuristic take of these historical stories.
Glamour: Tell us about the sets built to emulate ancient Egypt, and other locations.
Kt: All of the shooting done so far has been on green screen. The enchanting visual effects (VFX) worlds have been created by Archrok Entertainment and VFX director Pete Polyakov, who is best known for his work on Mad Max: Fury Road, Interstellar and Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice. For the remaining portion of the production, all physical sets will be built in SA.
Glamour: Are you under pressure to be a box-office success, especially after Black Panther?
Kt: To be honest, I only think about box office numbers when necessary, but it’s not my motivation. I’ve been moving in spirit and focused on creativity. However, I do believe that Black Panther has opened the flood gates for projects like mine to see the light of day, and my team and I would be elated to have even a fragment of that film’s success.
“For me, [Cleopatra] was the most complex of the three historical figures to write about. I was truly fascinated by her journey, and I cry for her every time I read the story”
Glamour: What is the key message you would like the audience to take away?
Kt: There would be no human race without the black woman, and we should always pay reverence to her greatness. I would also like audience members to go away with an understanding about how much love the black woman has bestowed upon the world despite all of the atrocities against her.
Protector of the Gods is due for release in 2020. A portion of the film’s proceeds will be donated to the Global Girls Alliance and the South African non-profit Ntethelelo Foundation.