In conversation with Comfort Arthur

“My intention when making the film was to get the audience to question societal ideals of beauty through my experience.”

- Comfort Arthur

Image: Comfort Arthur

British-Ghanaian filmmaker, Comfort Arthur, is an award-winning animator, graphic designer, visual artist and editor. She is the founder of The Comfy Studio – a multimedia studio based in Ghana – which has produced a number of celebrated animated shorts, including The Peculiar Life of a Spider (2015), Imagine (2016), and Black Barbie (2017) which has been screened at over 40 film festivals, scooped several international awards and turned into a children’s picture book.

In 2019 she released the web-series, I’m Living in Ghana, Get Me Out of Here – a comedic look at her personal experience moving back to Ghana. This web-series won her Best Animation at The Africa Movie Academy Awards 2020. Comfort Arthur currently teaches animation for African women at the Ladima Film Academy.

What was the inspiration behind Black Barbie?

My film Black Barbie is a poetry animation about my personal experience with lightening my skin to look like the “perfect light-toned African woman”. My intention when making the film was to get the audience to question societal ideals of beauty through my experience.

I initially wrote Black Barbie as a poem for my younger cousin who was battling with low self-esteem due to her skin colour. She confided in me that she wanted to bleach her skin. The poem was written for her so that she could realise the importance of self-love.

How did you develop Black Barbie from an idea to reality?

So, as it was first written as a poem, I then realised after writing that the themes behind the poem were something that needed to be discussed with a larger audience. The poem was then made into a short-animated film which later became an international success at film festivals, before finally becoming a children’s picture book

What are the key messages and themes that you are promoting with Black Barbie?

Both the book and film try to capture the essence of identity, beauty and self-love.

How did you get to where you are now?

In December 2012, I left London and moved to Ghana and started working as a film editor. I learned so much about filmmaking and how to edit films. After a while I wanted to work on my own animation projects, so I left in 2015 and became a freelancer. I stated working on my own personal projects.

My first short produced was The Peculiar Life of a Spider (2015) and it was this film that got me my first AMMA nomination. It also gave me the confidence to start making more short films and the following year I produced Imagine and Black Barbie. Both films were screened all over the world and it was with Black Barbie I won my first directorial award at the Blackstar International Film Festival.

Conversely to filmmaking, how did you first get published? What was the process like?

I met John Schaidler who runs Full Circle Publishers and we first decided to work on producing a children’s picture book about a young, naughty Ghanaian child. When John saw my short film Black Barbie and how powerful the message was, he strongly felt that producing Black Barbie in a picture format would be ideal, especially with the current situation in the world. We worked together to edit the original film script so it could read better as a book.

What’s the most important piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

I remembered attending a film lab and one of the speakers said:

‘Your artistic life is not going to be defined by the accolades you won. It will be defined by the actions you took when you were rejected’

What words of advice would you have for women who want to pursue a career in animation?

Don’t give up! Being a filmmaker is not as glamorous as many people believe it to be. In the world we live in getting money to fund films is quite daunting and frustrating. During the times when I am out of work I tend to work on my own personal projects. I also use those quiet times to learn new skills. I think it is very important to always learn to pick up new skills.

What are your views on diversity in the animation industry?

I can only speak on my experience, but I have been blessed to work with amazing animators both in Ghana and other parts of Africa. Although there are not many female animators in Africa, the ones that I do know are very supportive of each other’s work.

I have never felt at a disadvantage because of my gender nor have I been made to feel inferior. But that is not to say this doesn’t happen to other female filmmakers. However, most of the male animators I know are super supportive and want me to excel in my craft.

What upcoming projects are you working?

I am currently working on two major projects. I have been commissioned by Comic Relief to produce a short animation video on malaria.

The second project is a personal one in which I will be exploring how mental health is effecting the black community.

What does International Women’s Day mean to you?

International Women’s Day is a day to acknowledge the great contribution women artists have made in the creative spaces. I am constantly inspired by the works of many women around me.

Website: thecomfystudios.com