Meet Jay Najeeah, Winner of the Focus Features Award for Social and Cultural Impact

This year, the Focus Features Innovation and Creativity Award went to Jay Najeeah for Hag, their MFA thesis film for Howard University.

In Hag, a young woman, pregnant with her first child, battles for her mental health and against a hometown urban legend come to life.

We asked Najeeah to tell us a little about their inspiration for the film, influential artists, and plans for the future.

Follow them on Instagram: @jaynajeeah @haintblue.prod

Where did the idea for Hag come from?

I have the privilege of being born and raised a South Carolinian, specifically being from the Low Country. As someone who is Geechee, I grew up with generations of folklore being passed down through the stories I was told. I always held them close to my heart, but after my grandmother passed, there was a realization that most of my history was being held in an oral tradition. I wanted to put pen to paper so people could not only see the Black South, but see it through my eyes.

How did you find your cast?

I spent countless hours on Backstage and used my social media presence to talk about this film and find my cast. Four of my six actresses were found on Backstage, while two I knew personally. One in particular is near and dear to my heart. Joy Vandervort-Cobb is a professor emerita at the College of Charleston in South Carolina. She was also my mother’s African American Theatre professor when she was pregnant with me, and their bond was always tight. It was very full circle for me to be able to cast her in this film that honors the women in my life.

What in the film most captures what you saw when you first imagined it?

When I look at this film, I see so much of my family and so much of who I’ve allowed myself to grow into. So, all of it is right on the money. But if I had to be specific, I think that the therapist scene hits the nail on the head as far as converging all the ideas surrounding this story. Having these two phenomenal actresses encapsulate the anxiety of a first therapy session, fear of motherhood, and not being sure if what’s in front of you is real was a blessing. That scene will always be a favorite of mine.

What was the biggest lesson learned working on Hag?

A lesson I gained from Hag is also a lesson I gained from being in Howard University’s MFA Film program. For years, I ran away from my Southern roots, trying to wipe myself clean of my drawl and my culture. But being at Howard taught me the meaning of Sankofa. To move forward, you must look back. When I finally stopped refusing my ancestry, I was able to lock into a film that truly felt like me and what I wanted to see when I was younger.

As an emerging filmmaker, who are your influences?

Oh goodness, this list could go on for ages. I’m truly inspired by my Cohort of 12 at Howard. Their work is so grounded and full of life and color. I’m blessed that our paths crossed. As far as other creators, Zora Neale Hurston, Dee Rees, Barry Jenkins, Basquiat, Nia DaCosta, Kasi Lemmons, Julie Dash, Cheryl Dunye, Marlon Riggs, Jordan Peele, Bill Gunn—the list goes on and on, truly.

What was the first movie you saw that made you want to be a filmmaker and why?

Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight was a seminal piece of work for me. After they won the Oscar—on my birthday!—one of my best friends and I watched it, and I was in awe during the entire film. I don’t identify as male, but as a Queer person, I felt that pieces of it were so visceral and honest. I saw myself in a way I’d never really seen myself before on screen. I knew I wanted to tell stories that would make a girl like me feel like they were looking in a mirror. I hope in the future that’s what my work does.

Are you working on a feature film? What is it about?

I am working on a feature. Hag, the short film, is only the proof of concept for a larger vision. My producer, Cameron Logan, and I are fine-tuning it as we speak. The feature version will be a more in-depth look into Gullah Geechee culture, Southern Gothic aesthetics, and positive representations of Black sapphic relationships. We hope during our festival run, someone will give us a chance to go big.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.