Here at The Movie Buff we saw many intriguing short films while covering SXSW, but one that stuck out to us was “Play it Safe,” written and directed by filmmaker Mitch Kalisa. The film, at only 13 minutes, takes viewers on a tour of emotions, putting us in the driving seat of its lead, Jonathan, played superbly by Jonathan Ajayi.
What is great about “Play it Safe” is that it’s an understated film. It’s not a movie that forces its ideas on you, nor is it one that relies on clichés, even though it itself is about stereotypes. The film subtly lets us into its lead’s world—one filled with casual racism and stereotypes—and lets us feel his uncomfortableness. Jonathan is giving an acting exercise for his drama class, to imitate a randomly assigned animal, and he’s selected to imitate a monkey. Have any of the other classmates selected an animal that is stereotypical to them? It’s doubtful. The most powerful parts of the film are the silence following Jonathan’s selection and the pained look on his eyes before he begins.
At The Movie Buff, we were lucky enough to get the chance to sit down and talk to Mitch Kalisa about his film, talking about his film’s reception, premiering at SXSW, and more. And stay tuned at the end of the interview to find out where you can currently watch Kalisa’s introspective film.
*Note: this interview has been edited for clarity.
Hello and thank you for agreeing to this interview. Can you please introduce yourself for our readers?
Hi, thank you for having me! My name is Mitch Kalisa and I’m a filmmaker based in London, UK
I watched your short film “Play it Safe” during SXSW, which I found to be profound and thought-provoking. Can you tell us how you came up with the concept for this film? Was this a topic that you had always wanted to tackle?
Thanks for your kind words on the film. The concept had been with me for around 7-8 years before I got to make it. I used to attend drama classes as a teen and although drama schools are generally considered ‘safe spaces’ I still felt stereotyped. As an adult, I work in the advertising industry which is also considered a ‘safe space’ but still experienced being stereotyped. So this topic had always been something I wanted to explore.
How has your film been received? I see that it has received several awards at SXSW as well as other film festivals.
It’s been truly incredible to see the positive attention towards the film. The film has been selected at some very prestigious festivals, and right now the film has been nominated for ‘Best Short’ at the BIFA. As well as the industry, I’ve also received a lot positivity from audience members. I’d always wanted “Play It Safe” to be a conversation starter on the core themes and based off the audience feedback, we definitely achieved that. The love has been overwhelming.
Can you tell us how it was working with lead actor Jonathan Ajayi? He seems to grasp and make the material his own. Did the whole process come naturally? How did you two get connected?
Photo: courtesy SXSW Film Festival.
Jonathan was brought to my attention to me by our producer Chris. Chris knew Jonathan through a family connection and felt he would be great for the part. After watching his reel, I felt the same. We auditioned the role and saw other other actors but Jonathan still shone through. He intrinsically understood the character’s arch; his story wasn’t one of victimisation, it was a story about showing up for yourself.
When we discussed the film, Jonathan was also quick to grasp that the film wasn’t about trying to paint ‘bad guys’ and ‘good guys,’ it was simply trying to hold a mirror up, show things as they are and let the audience come to their own conclusions. This sensitivity to the nuances of the piece really comes out in Jonathan’s performance. I feel incredibly lucky to have worked with him and really hope to do so again in the future.
Your film deals with racism and racist stereotypes in a natural way that I found authentic. Speaking of that, can you talk about the main themes you are trying to bring forward with this film?
I really wanted to explore the type of racism experienced in so called ‘safe spaces;’ it was interesting to me because it is under-reported and those who are often guilty of it, tend to think of themselves as above racism.
Having that fight everyday is sadly the default for every person of colour; I hope the film sheds light for those who don’t see that this is happening everyday.”Mitch Kalisa
To me, the most powerful scene in the film is during theatre class when Jonathan’s character pulls the card of the animal—randomly—that he must imitate, and it’s a gorilla. The looks on his face says volumes. What do you think is going through his head at this point? Can you elaborate?
Jonathan Ajayi’s performance here is really astounding. He managed to communicate so much with only micro expressions on his face. In the prep we talked a lot about what was running through the characters head and to summarise, it’s a lot!
Some of the thoughts are were, he has done his best to assimilate, but he still feels marginalised. Was picking the ape card a coincidence or has he been set up. He could rightly lose his temper and challenge the racism but then he would be considered the stereotypical ‘angry Black Man.’ All this and more are running through the character’s head.
ALSO READ: SXSW Interviews – Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping from the Short Film ‘Femme’
Do you think it’s tiring for people like Jonathan’s character to have to make a choice between challenging racism and simply existing, when this battle doesn’t exist for people of other skin colors?
Yes it is definitely exhausting. This is something that I don’t see explored enough in media so it’s definitely something I wanted to highlight. Having that fight everyday is sadly the default for every person of colour; I hope the film sheds light for those who don’t see that this is happening everyday.
What do you hope that people will take away from this film? Do you hope it will inspire conversations about racial privilege and racism in general in a healthy way?
I couldn’t have said it better myself. The film ends with a question “where do we start?” so I hope the audience can continue that conversation.
Did you face any challenges while making this film?
The only major challenges were budgetary, but [it’s] something you get used to when you work independently. Thankfully I had an amazing crew and incredible on-screen talent who all believed in the material and wanted to make something special. Most obstacles can be tackled when you’ve got those foundations. Also the production company COMPULSORY coming onboard in the early stages with the development support they showed in the idea helped us really make it happen. A lot of people worked hard on this film that believed in my vision and I’m very grateful to have found those connections.
Do you have any social media links to your film where people can learn more information? Also, is there anywhere where audiences can watch the film, or is it still in the festival circuit?
We have our website: playitsafeshortfilm.com and @playitsafeshortfilm and @compulsoryview via Instagram.The film is currently playing on MUBI until December 2021 and has qualified for the BAFTA and Academy Award
