Susan Wokoma is known for her comedic roles in shows like Chewing Gum, Cheaters, and Taskmaster, but she’s now tackling a more serious project with her short film, Dark Skin Bruises Differently.
Wokoma started acting on screen as a teenager and is now also making a name for herself as a director and writer. Her film, ‘Dark Skin Bruises Differently,’ recently premiered at the prestigious BFI London Film Festival (sponsored by American Express).
Wokoma shared that she feels most comfortable at the London Film Festival, making it the ideal venue for her short film’s premiere.
I enjoy attending LFF because the audience is so knowledgeable and passionate about film. What struck me most was the shorts program – people are often buying tickets without knowing anything about the films they’ll be seeing, which is really interesting.
They aren’t focusing on well-known filmmakers; they’re just showing a collection of short films. I believe the audience who attends these types of screenings are truly the driving force behind film festivals.
This impressive 10-minute film powerfully examines issues within the education system, including bias and subtle discrimination. Wokoma not only wrote and directed it, but also plays the role of Ms. Lawson, a teacher in the film.
Ms. Lawson is the kind of teacher everyone wishes they’d had – supportive and quick to stand up for her students. The film focuses on her defense of Maria Obasi, who is unfairly accused of lying by her colleagues. We see the other teachers subtly discuss Maria in a negative way, and the film ultimately shows that she’s simply a young girl facing unfair judgment.
Teachers sometimes see Maria differently because of her race and the way society can mistakenly treat Black children as more mature than they are. But she’s simply a child, and deserves to be seen as such.
Wokoma shared that she initially pictured Ms. Lawson as a white character when she first wrote the story. She almost revealed this surprising detail to the audience at LFF after they watched it.
Wokoma is currently developing the film as a full-length feature, which was always the original plan. She explains the short film was created as a way to bypass the slow and frustrating process of traditional development – she simply wanted to create something quickly.
The adaptation process involved taking the core ideas from her initial proposal and the main storyline, and then figuring out how to condense them into a shorter film. The decision to cast Ms. Lawson as a Black woman felt right for the story’s direction, and, as Wokoma explains, it’s a way of reclaiming diverse narratives in an industry that sometimes overlooks them.
Wokoma explained that many stories dealing with racism naturally focus on a person of color as the central character, facing prejudice, often from a white person. He feels this is almost an automatic expectation for these types of projects.
We’re noticing a decline in diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts – suddenly, there’s less emphasis on telling a variety of stories. Recent casting choices are increasingly lacking in diversity. Given this trend, I didn’t want to focus my work on white perspectives, even when addressing the topic of racism.
I always write with my own voice, because I have to create my own opportunities. I don’t want to wait for permission. That led me to consider how changing a character’s race would impact the story. I realized making the character Black added a powerful layer – a Black woman who remembers being a Black child and understands how quickly Black children are forced to grow up. This created a compelling conflict: she’s forced to choose between protecting a child and keeping her job.
I find that version of the story far more compelling. Yes, we do have a feature film in the works, but changing the Ms. Lawson character – something that only happened last year during filming, after years of imagining the story – has really sparked my creativity. Now I’m focused on how that change would reshape the film, and I’m actually more enthusiastic about writing that version of the story.
Interestingly, the process of figuring out how to realistically portray dark skin bruising unintentionally provided valuable insight for the casting decision, Wokoma explains with a laugh. She believes it’s important to be responsive to current societal trends. “A story centered around a white Ms. Lawson just doesn’t feel right at this moment. While it might have been compelling a few years ago, I’m simply not drawn to that idea now.”
It’s great to hear someone working as an actress, writer, and director openly discuss the current state of British storytelling. There’s been a lot of talk about whether TV and film are being simplified to attract more viewers, including those who are distracted by their phones. However, this becomes particularly concerning when it suggests audiences need to be treated like children and that stories about racism – and its effects – should primarily focus on white perspectives.
You know, I feel so strongly about representation because I was raised on stories – books, mostly – where the characters didn’t reflect my own experiences. And honestly? I think Persuasion by Jane Austen is just brilliant. It really hits the spot.
One of the greatest joys for me is getting lost in stories. I don’t need to personally relate to the characters – like the Asian characters in ‘Bend It Like Beckham’ – to completely love a film. That movie remains a favorite, and I think that’s my strength as a viewer: I can empathize with anyone, regardless of whether they share my background.
Many people find it difficult to accept changes to beloved stories. This is especially true when it comes to fictional worlds with established lore, like those in The Little Mermaid or Lord of the Rings.
She explained that to stay creatively fulfilled, she feels driven to write stories that aren’t simply designed to please everyone. She pointed to the show Chewing Gum as an example – it wasn’t originally intended for an American audience, but it became popular internationally.
My inspiration comes from the stories I want to tell, and I’ve decided I no longer want to focus on white characters. I’m not interested in seeking validation or having to plead for attention. Above all, a film needs to be engaging, compelling, and emotionally resonant. I felt making Ms. Lawson a Black character would make the film more captivating and impactful.
Wokoma admits she might mention this casting change a lot – perhaps even to the point of annoying some people – but she feels it’s a crucial point to explain.
Wokoma explains that Ms. Lawson, as a Black person who grew up, likely understands the experiences of being unfairly distrusted or wrongly accused. This is because society often unfairly associates Black children with wrongdoing.
Wokoma points to Netflix’s ‘The Perfect Neighbour’ as a good example of this issue. She recently heard a veteran actor share a story from his childhood: his neighbours used to sic their dogs on him and other Black kids in the neighborhood.
She recalls her neighbors deliberately training their dogs to attack Black children, describing it as a form of entertainment. This occurred in multicultural South-East London, the setting for her work, Dark Skin Bruises Differently.
Wokoma explains that it’s particularly striking when Black people share an understanding of each other’s struggles, and then hurt one another. This highlights the complex and compelling relationship between Ms. Lawson and Maria.
It’s challenging to create such detailed and meaningful storytelling, especially when dealing with sensitive subjects like in the short film Dark Skin Bruises Differently. The question now is how the filmmaker will maintain that same depth and impact when expanding the story into a full-length feature.
The small, hurtful moments shown in the short film will also appear in the full-length movie, but we’re also focusing on developing Maria’s character and giving her a more prominent role. The short film hints at Maria’s difficult childhood, and the feature-length version will delve much deeper into that backstory and her journey.
Wokoma believes the key to understanding their story lies in what each woman finds in the other. It’s not about individual failings, but rather the dynamics of their relationship and, ultimately, why it fell apart, that’s the real issue.
Wokoma explains that exploring these character relationships also helps her process her own upbringing. She says she’s drawn to stories about Black girls and childhood because those experiences aren’t often captured in film. This is reflected in her work, including the short films she’s made – ‘Dark Skin Bruises Differently,’ which she directed, and ‘Love the Sinner,’ which she wrote.
I’m not going to wait for others. I’m going to keep working on this until I’m satisfied with what I’ve created, and then I’ll move on to new projects.
What I really hope to focus on is a character who’s introverted and has a lot going on inside. It feels like stories often push characters to be unbelievably special or even magical, and I think it’s time we explored someone more realistically complex and quiet instead.
She explains that the central question of the story is what Ms. Lawson sees in this quiet child – what potential does she recognize? While subtle, everyday discrimination creates the environment for the story, the film won’t be about that discrimination itself. She feels focusing on that would be uninteresting.
Wokoma is currently developing a feature film adaptation of ‘Dark Skin Bruises Differently.’ Encouraged by the positive response the project has received at screenings and festivals, she’s begun working on it with her team.
Wokoma acknowledges she’s previously worked with people who weren’t the right fit for her projects. Throughout her career, she’s prioritized finding and collaborating with a team she considers her ‘film family’.
She explained she needed to work with people she could rely on and who were truthful. ‘It feels like it’s taken my entire career to find this amazing team,’ she said with a smile, adding that she now feels prepared and confident to start filming.
Wokoma has worked on projects like ‘Enola Holmes’ and even contributed voice work to ‘World of Warcraft’. Now, she’s interested in exploring what kinds of stories she wants to tell – not just as an actor, but also by directing or writing them herself.
She explained she wants to avoid work that feels artificial or made solely to chase trends. She doesn’t want to engage with creators who rely too much on algorithms and make assumptions about what audiences will like. Ultimately, she wants to steer clear of anyone who underestimates the intelligence of viewers and creates overly simplistic content as a result.
I’m looking to collaborate with passionate people on projects they truly believe in – things we can commit to long-term, not just abandon when things get difficult. It feels like artists need to stay strong and create authentic work in this confusing world where it’s hard to know what’s genuine. Ideally, I want to work with kind, open-minded collaborators – definitely not anyone with harmful or oppressive views.
Wokoma emphasizes that it’s important to collaborate with people who are passionate about their work and genuinely believe in the impact of art – a belief she now openly embraces.
Wokoma recently shared a powerful observation on Instagram. She noted that a highly praised film set in London completely lacked representation, featuring no dark-skinned women and no actors of East Asian descent.
The post and Wokoma’s conversation don’t reveal the name of the movie, but she explains it highlights a larger issue with casting in the industry.
I was really surprised by the backlash. People get very upset whenever there’s Black representation in fantasy or sci-fi – whether it’s a Black woman playing a mermaid, Black characters in a show like Game of Thrones with dragons, or Black people in Star Wars, a series set in space with alien characters. It seems some people simply react negatively to seeing people of color in these roles.
It really struck me because I started to wonder, ‘If we can’t tell stories about working-class life in a place like modern London, then where can we tell them?’
Wokoma enjoyed the film, but was deeply disappointed by the complete lack of diversity in the cast. She felt it demonstrated a lack of genuine care for diversity and inclusion, and expressed hope that this oversight might ultimately lead to positive change, a sentiment echoed by her friend, Abby Ajayi.
She explained that she prefers to collaborate with those who genuinely want to work with her and appreciate her contributions. If someone isn’t interested, she’s okay with that, but feels like she experienced a disappointing pattern of behavior.
Diversity used to be seen as a passing fad, but now it’s no longer considered ‘trendy.’ Ironically, stories featuring diversity are actually very profitable. The success of titles like ‘Sinners’ proves there’s a strong audience eager for these kinds of narratives. Despite this, many creators still hesitate to invest in them.
Wokoma has a wonderfully optimistic perspective and views her creative choices as liberating. She explains, ‘For me, it’s about having a clear vision for the stories you want to tell and collaborating with the right people – that’s what truly matters.’
“The erasure is my freedom.”
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2025-11-03 19:40