Yvonne Ossei, is a Ghanaian born actress and award-winning
writer based in the UK and the first African woman to win a British Urban Film
Festival Award. The winning script she wrote titled ‘Face Up,’ highlights the
plight of two sisters who undergo Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), a process
that is practised in numerous African, and some European countries. The panel
of judges was not just impressed with the quality of the script but with the
boldness of subject matter.
Her script was performed at the U.K’s Channel 4 Studios. “It
is an overwhelming achievement for me because African women are hardly ever
represented in this industry on an international level.” She observed. “Women
are readily accepted as actresses, but face obstacles when it comes to writing
and directing because those roles were traditionally reserved for men. I hope I
can go some way into changing that mentality.”
Her second venture is a film she has written and starred in,
called ‘Sometimes I Feel.’ It details the harsh reality of domestic violence, a
problem that thousands of women face in silence. “It’s been tough because when
you’re dealing with such a serious subject matter the script and performances
have to be as sincere as possible. Even the rehearsals were difficult.”
The film is in the production stages and is due to be
screened/released in late 2014 on the international film festival circuit.
Yvonne is inspired by the likes of Ghanaian writer/director
Shirley Frimpong-Manso. As she stated “Shirley’s work has set a precedent for
others to follow.”
Yvonne has several projects in store, some of which she
plans to undertake in Ghana, “I am excited about the future, and my motherland
is definitely a part of that.”
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