UC professor wins Ghana film award, secures endowed chair

Anima Adjepong, an associate professor at the University of Cincinnati, has secured two distinct academic and artistic milestones in the past year. The professor’s short film won the best short film award at the Black Star International Film Festival in Ghana in September. Simultaneously, the university named Adjepong the Mary Ellen Heintz professor for the Department of Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies.

The film, titled Home, Or Our Journey is Still Long, was produced in collaboration with Ghanaian filmmaker Joewackle J. Kusi. The project received funding through a University Research Council Pivot Grant award. Adjepong described the narrative as an exploration of the concepts of home and belonging. The work also serves as a reflection on the ocean and the industrialization of the natural world.

Adjepong noted that the film received a positive response at its initial screening in Ghana. The professor stated that the viewing experience seemed to shift audience perspectives on friendship, togetherness, and same gender intimacy. The reaction extended beyond simple appreciation to active discussion among the attendees.

“The conversations it has evoked have been rich,” Adjepong said. “People are getting things from the film and asking questions that I would not have anticipated when we created it.”

The film will be screened for a local audience on Thursday, Nov. 12, at the Esquire Theater. The screening is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public without the need for tickets. The event includes a post-screening segment featuring Unoma Azuah, a poet and activist, and Hilary Tackie, a professor from SUNY Paltz. A Q&A session will follow their remarks.

The appointment as the Mary Ellen Heintz professor brings specific resources to the department. The endowed chair allows Adjepong to expand mentorship capacity for students and faculty. The position also supports the addition of a postdoctoral position, which will help support the department’s ongoing work.

Adjepong expressed satisfaction with the new title and its practical implications for the academic unit. “I’m very happy to be the Heintz professor,” Adjepong said. “It allows me to expand my own mentorship capacity but then the post doc position I’m adding will help support the department.”

Beyond film and teaching, Adjepong maintains an active role in transnational advocacy. The professor created Silent Majority Ghana, a group that sheds light on homophobic laws in Ghana and other regions. This work aligns with the department’s focus on gender and sexuality studies.