FINDING BELONGING: AN INTERVIEW WITH ALUM AND FILMMAKER DALILA ALI RAJAH
Interview by David Rocchio.
David Rocchio [DR]: Thank you for taking the time to talk about your work and development. To get started, when did you first start working with Stowe?
My first experience with Stowe was attending the Producers’ Lab in Vermont. I was initially invited based on my pilot Magickal Thinker | Blossoming Wisdom, and was also able to get some mentor support on my feature, Paris Before We Marry. I was later invited to the 2024 New Mexico Writer’s Retreat with another pilot, Faefyre. I found both experiences enlightening, informative, and inspiring.
DR: Thank you. I’m glad the experiences were valuable to you. Please tell us a bit about your projects Faefyre and Magickal Thinker | Blossoming Wisdom.
Dalila: Faefyre is a poly-romantic Fantasy Family Drama with some underlying geo-political machinations similar to Game of Thrones that centers Black and Brown Queer/Trans Fae(ries) desperately trying to hold their chosen family together and protect the tentative safety they’ve created in their family business, a magickal cannabis dispensary in an alternate reality Oakland, California.
Magickal Thinker | Blossoming Wisdom is a Live Action/Animation Drama. It’s a mash-up of Insecure and a middle-grade Heartstopper loosely based on my journey as a Bisexual single mom raising my child as he began to understand his Trans/Non-Binary gender identiy.
Both are Dramas with a lean into joy, magick/magickal realism, and some romance. My work is always anchored by either finding, protecting, or sustaining a sense of belonging.
DR: I love the tonal choices and themes of your films. How has leaning into a specific genre supported your work?
Dalila: Much of traditional Western storytelling styles depend on hooking the audience with “when is the next shoe going to drop.” I think for many in underrepresented communities that doesn’t serve us. I love dramatic stories that also include levity because that’s how most of us move through the world and make our way through moments that are challenging. Focusing on dramatic storytelling that still has levity gives me a way tell the kind of stories that leave a sweet and poignant residue on the heart.
Dalila’s Directorial Debut
DR: You seem to be a clear multi-hyphenate, working as a writer, actor, and producer. How do these different roles support your work and influence your writing? Do you lean into one or another of the areas of work, or do you like the mix?
Dalila: I absolutely am a multi-hyphnate in all the ways. Directing just got added to that list. My debut film, Time, an experimental micro-short had its international premiere at Diversity in Cannes last year.
I trained as a classical actor. It’s what both my degrees are in, but I have always written as well. As an actor we are constantly breaking down story in scripts and writing back story for our characters. I think many don’t realize how intricate many of us get with the details of a character’s history, relationships, joy moments/fear moments, etc. We take fragments from text and expand them into a full biography to create an authentic performance. All of that informs writing, plus we are usually great with dialog because we know what actually performing the lines will take.
Producing helps me know what things will increase a budget or what things may take a little extra work to move forward. I don’t write from that place, but I can switch hats when needed. Producing honestly was kind of out of neccesity. Not many people were platforming and amplifying brown-skinned Black women back in the day. I told myself that if others wouldn’t cast me, I’d cast myself. I had a concentration in house management and producing in undergrad that taught me I had a knack for it.
I lean more into acting and writing for now. I creative produce for projects I have a role in that I’m really excited about.
DR: It’s interesting how we lean one way or another in our art. Given you've worked with us in two different capacities - once as a producer at our 2023 Producers' Lab and then as a writer at our 2024 Santa Fe Writers' Retreat - how did these programs support your development and how have the projects advanced since we worked together?
Dalila with mentors Liz Cardenas (L) and Darrien Michele Gipson (R) at Sundance
Dalila: Both the Producers’ Lab and the Santa Fe Writers’ Retreat first and foremost gave me a sense of community… and funny enough - belonging. It felt like I fit, and I met people who were authentic and had differing perspectives they were willing to share with clarity and the best for me in mind. I felt seen.
A few mentors at the Producers’ Lab suggested I write a short proof of concept for Magickal Thinker and shoot it since it’s a unique concept. I actually ended up writing the outline at the lab I was so inspired. I have written a few drafts, and want to hone that script a bit more and then shoot it. I plan to direct it. Also a mentor suggested to help move my feature forward by getting some more directing credits under my belt.
I am tweaking Faefyre some based on notes I received, and working on a graphic novel version that will also lend itself to the show possibly being animated in a similar way to Arcane, but with a sexy Romantasy lean.
DR: We of course wish you well with these projects. What will we see you working on next?
Dalila: In addition to everything else on the multi-hyphenate list, I am also an artavist. I founded the Black Queer Joy movement, and created an actiavation while I was an Outfest Fusion Artist in Residence. I am creating an impact-centered documentary about Black Queer Joy and intend to broaden the activation and social impact reach of joy as a revolutionary act.
I am also actively seeking an artist to work with to create sample pages of the Faefyre graphic novel so I can get it published.
Dalila Ali Rajah
Powerhouse storyteller, Dalila Ali Rajah is a wonderful mixture of sandalwood, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper. She is a dynamic multi-hyphenate actress, writer, director, and producer who holds a BA in Theatre from Spelman College, and an MFA in Acting from California Institute of the Arts (Calarts)
This well-known lauded activist and creator who founded the Black Queer Joy Movement was selected as one of The Advocate Magazine’s Entertainers of the Year, OUT Magazine’s OUT100, and Outfest Fusion’s Artist-in-Residence .
She Co-Created the Queer-women centered talk show, Cherry Bomb!, which ran 5 seasons on Canada’s OutTV, and her award-winning short film Secrets and Toys which she wrote, produced, and stars in has garnered more than 7 million views on YouTube. Her directing debut recently screened at Diversity in Cannes and was nominated for Best Micro Short. She is a force to be reckoned with.
Interview by David Rocchio, Stowe Founder & Director
David Rocchio
David Rocchio is an attorney, writer, and Emmy-nominated filmmaker. David conceived and co-produced with James Rogan The Gun Shop, an Emmy-nominated one-hour documentary commissioned by the UK Channel 4’s Cutting Edge series, where it premiered prime time and was awarded top reviews. It then played worldwide. David’s award-winning short films have played internationally, including the Cannes Short Film Corner and Italy’s Capalbio International Short Film Festival (Best of Capalbio). His most recent short film Gary, Jr. was produced and directed by Bertha Bay Sa Pan.
In addition to creating his own work, David founded and runs the nonprofit Stowe Story Labs, which is dedicated to helping top emerging screenwriters and filmmakers get work made and seen. Now in its twelfth year, Stowe works with approximately 200 emerging talents annually at labs, retreats, workshops, advanced development programs, mentoring programs, and film production programs.
David’s last job as a lawyer was as Legal Counsel to Vermont’s then-Governor Howard Dean. He was a nationally certified EMT and member of the Mt. Mansfield Ski Patrol (Stowe, Vermont) for 22 years, and he remains an avid backcountry skier. David lives in Stowe.