Time to Leave

Time to Leave is a cine-poetic, experimental documentary-essay, found footage project that has many layers and a powerful, activist message, all guided by a personal story. On the surface, it is a film about the risks, dangers, and consequences of wanting to be seen. But much deeper, it is a film about justice, courage, and self-determination. Oscillating between the past and the present, the film confronts, questions, and, through many aesthetic interventions, challenges assumptions about power and privilege. Namely, the idea that one has to be of a certain race and of a certain class to have the right to access and occupy a given space. Through the use of archival footage, photographs, and other source materials, Time to Leave invites the viewer to consider how the past is always present. In addition, it reminds the viewer, not by finger-wagging, but through the presentations of certain truths and historical testimonies, that no matter how far society has come there is always room for improvement.

  • Léwuga Benson
    Director
  • Lewuga Benson
    Writer
  • University at Buffalo
    Producer
  • Lewuga Benson
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Experimenatal, Essay, short
  • Runtime:
    16 minutes 54 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    December 14, 2019
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes
  • DMS Winter Show
    Buffalo
    United States
    December 14, 2019
  • DMS Livestream Show
    Buffalo, New York
    United States
    May 13, 2020
    Best Graduate Film
  • Buffalo International Film Festival
    Buffalo, new York
    United States
    October 8, 2020
  • Transient Visions: Festival of The Moving Image
    Johnson City, New York
    United States
    October 23, 2020
  • Antimatter Film Festival
    Victoria, BC
    Canada
    October 14, 2020
  • New York Feedback Film Festival
    New York, New York
    United States
    March 23, 2020
    Best Sound and Music
  • New York African Film Festival
    New York, New York
    United States
  • Virginia Dares Cinematic Arts Awards for Decolonizing Films and Media Projects
    Blackburgs, Virginia
    United States
    November 13, 2020
    Finalist
  • 4th Dimension Independent Film Festival
    Bali
    Indonesia
    December 29, 2020
Director Biography - Léwuga Benson

Léwuga Benson is a Nigerian born artist-filmmaker pursuing an MFA in Media Art Production at the University at Buffalo.

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