For Aleshea Harris, Directing IS GOD IS Was ‘a Baptism by Fire’

Aleshea Harris is making her feature directorial debut with Is God Is, her new film adaptation of her award-winning play. With a background in theater work, this project marked a new experience for the playwright, who brought the rich world of her play to the big screen.

Is God Is follows a pair of twin sisters, played by two-time Tony-winner Kara Young and Mallori Johnson. It is a revenge story, taking the inseparable duo on the road where they attempt to find their father and make him pay for sins he committed against his family. The result is a winding journey for the eyes and ears, with one twist after another. Adapting the story as a film allowed Harris to utilize cinematic devices that weren’t always possible on the stage. 

“I was really interested in borrowing some things that I know from Ancient Greek tragedy about how things are sort of hidden until you see the result of the acts of violence. I was interested in engaging other senses in the cinematography,” Harris told BroadwayWorld. “There was a lot that I got to preserve from the play script, but just express differently here on screen, which is such a gift.”

As a newcomer to the world of filmmaking, Harris had to quickly adapt to the ins and outs of working in this form, which includes a fast production schedule and rapid decision-making. “…There’s no room for complaining; you got to maximize. And that’s the story of my life,” she said.

“Everything was a baptism by fire, so I really had to use what I did know, which is common sense from my years as a playwright about story, about how to talk to actors. And I think the greatest skill was the ability to articulate a vision— why the thing is there on the page, what it does for the story.”

Having never directed before, helming this project was empowering for Harris, and she hopes to do more directing in the future: “You were the captain of the ship on a multi-million dollar project. You can go into the theater as a true theater person and do this thing,” she affirms.

It has offered her new ways of approaching her writing as well. “In my writing, I think, sometimes when I’m feeling a little stuck: ‘How would I shoot it? What are the images that I would need?’ And so it’s really interesting how it’s fed my practice as a writer.”

Watch BroadwayWorld’s full conversation with Harris now. The movie, produced by Amazon, MGM, and Orion Pictures, is now in theaters, with a cast that includes Vivica A. Fox, Janelle Monáe, Erika Alexander, Mykelti Williamson, Josiah Cross, and Sterling K. Brown.