Waters of Rebirth: Okere

In a speculative future marked by resilience, Okere Warri emerges from the ruins of a devastating flood. The community intricately weaves its deep-rooted traditions, especially the Awankere Festival, with cutting-edge technology, crafting a city where floating platforms and holographic ancestors blend into everyday life. "Waters of Rebirth" captures this remarkable transformation, showcasing Okere Warri's journey of adaptation and innovation. As they honor their heritage through sacred rituals and colorful festival celebrations, they also embrace futuristic advancements like biomechanical masquerades and luminous purification rites. This 3 minute film highlights the urgent need to preserve cultural heritage amid environmental challenges, celebrating a society that flourishes by harmonizing the old with the new. As one elder reflects, "The waters that once threatened us now cradle our legacy." Technique Creating this film involved understanding the current issues affecting Okere Warri through real-time observation without physically being there. Gathering image references of the town and its residents, I developed a story and visual script, focusing on various shot angles and a singular camera approach. Each prompt was carefully engineered to bring scenes to life with the assistance of Runway Gen 2 and ChatGPT for video prompts. Final editing was completed with CapCut, complemented by soundtracks from Epidemic. Infusing Afrofuturistic elements into these images, I envisioned a future where the people of Okere Warri adapt harmoniously with their environment.