Avant-Garde Productions

18/07/2024

Doc Film: Cogito Ergo Sum (72mins, 2024)
Directed and Edited by Ahmed Tahsin Shams

Malcolm Mobutu Smith is a renowned Associate Professor of Ceramics at Indiana University's Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture, and Design, where he has been a pivotal figure for 22 years. In Cogito Ergo Sum, Malcolm's narrative unfolds as a testament to the power of art and education, highlighting his commitment to teaching and his contributions to the field of ceramics. The film captures the essence of an artist's journey, from childhood inspirations to professional achievements, offering an intimate look at the life of a man who has dedicated himself to fostering creativity and academic excellence.

Casting: Prof. Malcolm Mobutu Smith Direction, Editing, Camera, Motion Graphics: Ahmed Tahsin ShamsCinematography: Josh VanoverSound: Isaac RogersProduction ...

18/07/2024

Doc Film ‘Truth, Power, Freedom’ (25mins, 2024)
Directed and Edited by Ahmed Tahsin Shams

https://youtu.be/HCQhyRCk0RE?feature=shared

Through his artwork, this film reflects the heartfelt journey of Eric, a young man from Ghana, who navigates the complexities of identity and belonging as he transitions to life in America. The film captures Eric's journey of self-discovery, highlighting the resilience and adaptability required to navigate the immigrant experience.

18/07/2024

Trailer of Doc Film: ‘LISTEN’ (65mins, 2024)
Directed and Edited by Ahmed Tahsin Shams

https://youtu.be/J6OnTuVai5A?feature=shared

Listen is a documentary film structured into four chapters, each addressing race relations in the USA through the perspectives of different creative professionals: a filmmaker, a theater director, a dance performance artist. The final chapter brings back the social actors and subjects of the 1994 documentary film ‘Facing the Facade’ at Indiana University Bloomington to bridge the past perspectives along with the present.

Direction & Editing: Ahmed Tahsin Shams

08/07/2024

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04/04/2024

https://youtu.be/KwMm407-lyE?feature=shared

Film Title: Cogito Ergo Sum (75mins, 2024)
Characters: Professor Malcom Smith, Sam White, and Eric Agyemang-Dua Jr.

Imagine you're at a bustling party where everyone's reality is slightly skewed by their choice of funky glasses. Some see the world in neon, others in sepia tones, and a few adventurous souls navigate through kaleidoscope lenses. This party, with its wildly differing perceptions, is humanity's grasp on reality according to René Descartes. Descartes, the party's philosophical buzzkill, decides it's time for a reality check. He removes his glasses, prompting everyone to do the same, and asks, "But how do we know what's real? What if we're all just characters in a cosmic video game, and reality is just a high score?"So, he proposes a game: "Let's doubt everything. The music, the glasses, even the guacamole." Descartes suggests they start from scratch, throwing out everything they can't be absolutely certain of. This leaves them with very little, standing in an empty room, because even the floor might be an illusion. At the heart of this existential purge, Descartes finds one undeniable truth: "I think, therefore I am."

This statement becomes the foundation of his philosophy, like finding your house keys in your hand after tearing the house apart looking for them. It's the one thing he can't doubt, the mental equivalent of realizing you're not a ghost because you can't float through walls.With "I think, therefore I am," Descartes builds a new party from the ground up. This party is furnished with ideas he can prove to himself, like the existence of God and the separation of mind and body, which he imagines as the ultimate odd couple sitcom: Mind is a tidy, thoughtful character, while Body is a bit of a mess, always bumping into things and craving snacks.

Descartes' philosophical journey, full of doubt and reconstruction, is a bit like deciding to clean your entire house at 3 AM because you can't sleep. You end up questioning your life choices but somehow find clarity in the chaos. And that's the essence of Descartes' philosophy: tearing down the disco ball of perceived reality to find the light switch of certainty.

Editing, Production, Direction: Ahmed Tahsin Shams
DoP: Joshua D. Vanover
Audio: Isaac S. Rogers
1st Assistant Director: Jack A. Bassett

01/04/2024

https://youtu.be/F2Rp8sbri-Y?feature=shared

Trailer: Kukusanya [30mins]
Editing and Direction: Ahmed Tahsin Shams
DoP: Joshua Vanover
Audio: Isaac Roger
1st Assistant Director: Jack Bassett
Creative Consultant and Character: Ashley Hayes

27/03/2024

Film Title: The Story of Akin Adesokan (18mins, 2024)
Editing and Direction: Ahmed Tahsin Shams
DoP: Joshua D. Vanover
1st Ad: Jack Bassett
Audio: Isaac Rogers

This short documentary film features author Akin Adesokan with an intermedial and intertextual approach to storytelling, alluding to the Afro-beat legend Fela Kuti.

Directorial Statement: It challenges the perception of cinema when cinema includes multiple mediums to communicate. For instance, the verb may go beyond “seeing” in cinema and add other verbs like “reading,” “listening,” and/or “tactile.” I believe that if I need to feel an author character, I should be his/her/their reader; the same way we feel a musician character when we listen to the music, or we feel a painter/sculptor when we see the use of brushstrokes, colors, mud, ceramics, and whatnot! The beauty of cinema is that it can blend all mediums, even though that might not be comfortable to the eyes due to pre-programmed habits of perception. However, the purpose of cinema, to me, is to disrupt preconceived notions and deconstruct stereotypes of comprehensibility. To me, viewing means spectators dying to be reborn.
—Shams [March 27, 2024]

Trailer: https://youtu.be/ofaQG8-J1pw

Film Title: Green Notes: Vibrations of Healing (22mins, 2024)
Editing and Direction: Ahmed Tahsin Shams
DoP: Joshua D. Vanover
Audio: Jay Upshaw
Casting & Vocal Artists: Dr. Raymond Wise & Tyra Anderson

This film showcases poetic glimpses of the efficacy of musical sounds in healings with an interview of a therapist named Tyra Anderson, and a musical verite workshop by Dr. Raymond Wise.

Directorial Statement: It requires a physical investment of participation instead of only “seeing” the film. The audience investment is that they can try to meditate and watch it in a loop. It is also notable that music therapy has been used not only for human well-being since ancient times but also for plants that grow faster and healthier with certain sounds and tones.

—Shams [March 27, 2024]

Trailer: https://youtu.be/bBy4xXuELes

22/01/2024

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https://www.facebook.com/share/v/UReo9Tk9Th87MexJ/?mibextid=VuxXZ0&startTimeMs=1000

31/12/2023

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Creative Agency

31/12/2023

A wish from the multiverse “Gonojagoron Mancha” (mass-upsurge stage)

Creative Agency