The Lense of God
A conversation with Enah Johnscott, award-winning director and writer of the internationally acclaimed film “The Fisherman’s Diary.”
By Michael Judge
Enah Johnscott’s 2020 feature film “The Fisherman’s Diary,” currently on Netflix, has received more accolades than any movie out of Cameroon, well, ever, winning five African Movie Academy Awards, including best screenplay; and nominations for best director, best film, best soundtrack, and best production at the prestigious Paris Arts and Movie Awards.
The film, Cameroon’s official entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards, tells the story of Ekah (Faith Fidel), an illiterate 12-year-old girl in a fishing village inspired by the dreams of her deceased mother and the words of Nobel Peace Prize Winner Malala Yousafzai: “One child, one teacher, one pen and one book can change the world.”
Tragically, Ekah’s fisherman father, Solomon (Kang Quintus), forbids his daughter from attending school, for fear of losing her and the only way of life he knows in a village where the taboo surrounding educa…
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