A Thousand Needles

A Film on

women’s sexual and reproductive health

#morethanperiodpain

Want to host a screening of the film, invite me for a panel discussion on the topics of women’s sexual and reproductive health or you simply want to watch the film, let’s chat!

Using poetry, monologues, and artistic visuals, the 2018 film is a nuanced look at the realities of women with sexual and reproductive health issues such as uterine fibroids, endometriosis, adenomyosis, and infertility.

The film follows the journey of one Black, African woman and how the symptom of pelvic pain affects different aspects of her life such as career, relationships, mental health, and emotional state.

Watch the promo

Meet the Team

Nikitta Dede Adjirakor

WRITER, PRODUCER
The concept of the film was built from one of her poems which shares the same title as the film. Having lived with varying sexual and reproductive health issues since she was 13, this film serves a platform for her to reveal the often times, invisible realities of sexual and reproductive health issues.
Poems within the film: A Thousand Needles, Dear God.
Kelsi Brooks

DIRECTOR

Kelsi is an African-American born in New Orleans, Louisiana (United States). She acquired a degree in Film and Video from Columbia College of Chicago and a Masters in Education from Xavier University. She has spent the last ten years as an educator where she regularly teams up with visual artists to incorporate art into math and other subjects. Kelsi moved to Tanzania in 2015. A year later, she co-founded an organization called Heights, a collective of creatives who come together to do community service projects across East Africa. She is a producer, writer and actor for the upcoming Clouds TV series “Hotseat”.
Gwamaka Mwabuka

VIDEOGRAPHER
Gwamaka is from Tanzania. Since college, he has been working in different social projects related to community development. His passion for film making has seen him create short films and documentaries for NGO's particularly centred on female empowerment. One of Gwamaka's recent projects is with TAI Tanzania under which the JALI project is held, which focuses on educating students on reproductive health in Tanzania. His productions include the short film Bring the Light (2016) and the documentary Road to Nairobi (2016).
Sabrina Zahor

CREATIVE CONTRIBUTOR - POETRY, VISUALS

Although Sabrina's background is in Business and Management, her passion for creativity has been showcased in her poetry and creative projects which she has participated in throughout the years. A writer, poet and painter, Sabrina believes in art as a way to push boundaries, learn and explore passion. For this film, Sabrina was interested in using art as an medium to create awareness about women's health in general.
Poems within the film: X, Red.
VIOLET BIJURA

CREATIVE CONTRIBUTOR - POETRY
Violet is an impassioned feminist and pro-black aspiring writer/poet. She has been writing since she was 11 years old and has had various poems published and performed in both the United Kingdom and Tanzania. She was deeply inspired by the movement being made to raise awareness on women's reproductive health, and was humbled to be able to contribute with her poetry.
Poems within the film: Reclaiming Paradise I & II