Elijah Negasi joins Visual Intonation Podcast with the quiet intensity of someone who has lived inside his stories. Born and raised in the Bronx and shaped by New York City grit, Elijah is an actor, director, and filmmaker whose work pulses with emotional honesty. From early documentaries to award-winning shorts and upcoming features, his path reveals a young artist listening closely to his inner voice and trusting it enough to create.
We talk about Sudden, his directorial debut, and the emotional weight it carries. The film follows two lifelong friends after an unexpected tragedy, where grief becomes both a companion and a test. Elijah shares how personal loss, guilt, and memory informed the film’s tone, and why sitting with discomfort became essential to telling the truth. His approach to filmmaking favors feeling over explanation and reflection over resolution.
The conversation turns inward as Elijah opens up about depression, healing, and the practices that helped him survive darker seasons. Meditation, movement, prayer, journaling, and solitude helped quiet the noise. Community helped even more. By choosing vulnerability and asking for help, he found connection instead of isolation. Creation became a lifeline, not an escape, but a way to give shape to pain and reclaim himself.
Now based in Miami and continuing to build momentum in independent cinema, Elijah reflects on purpose, identity, and the responsibility of storytelling. From HBO and PBS to Sundance and Tribeca, from acting to directing, his work remains grounded in psychological truth and the Black experience. This episode is about art as medicine, honesty as strength, and choosing to keep going, one small step at a time.
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Elijah Negasi - Filmmaker & Cinematographer | Creative Consultant
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