Daddy’s Girl, created by screenwriter and director Jessica Magaye might be a “short film,” but it definitely doesn’t fall short plot-wise. Daddy’s Girl is one of six films supported by the DBK Studios and Sky Studios Unearthed Narratives initiative. Founded back in 2021, it celebrates Black British and diverse talent to improve representation both on and off-screen.
BuzzFeed speaks to Jessica, who reflects on her TV and Film writing journey. “I've always written just for fun and thought of it as a hobby. And then, in my first year of uni, I did a Leadership Programme, and met one of the mentors on the programme,” she tells me. “I didn’t think writing was a viable thing. Growing up in an African household, the [career] options are banking, law, doctor, dentist, you know. There's no filmmaking on that list. But then he made a good point that you can monetize everything and that we're in an age where the world is basically your oyster. So if you have a passion, then it's always good to follow through with it. That's when I started to take it more seriously.”
The Unearthed Narratives series was executive produced by Koby Adom, who is now like an “older brother” to Jessica after they met at a film event. He took a liking to one of Jessica’s shorts she had recorded for fun and told her there could be another opportunity to make a film on a bigger scale. And the rest was history.
Daddy’s Girl is a dystopian sci-fi film about a carer named Sade (Precious Mustapha) who gets involved in the social media game while holding the guilt that comes with being a carer but not wanting to be one. When the social media world tries to take over her real life, she’s left in a very difficult situation, having to put on a façade to pay off her looming bills: “I've seen that there are a lot of mental health issues that stem from the use of social media, especially with young girls because there is a focus on having to look a certain way. The whole BBL culture, the pressure to have designer [clothes] and always be dripped down…it's quite harmful.”
Loosely based on her own experiences, Jessica wanted to explore what social media might look like in the futuristic world. “I have a very bittersweet on and off relationship with social media. One day I love it, and then the next, the comparison game starts to come into my mind,” she explains.
"I have a very bittersweet on and off relationship with social media. One day I love it, and then the next, the comparison game starts to come into my mind."
She also wanted to portray the realities of being a carer: “My dad's got early onset dementia, so we all care for him at the moment. And anytime I would meet people, I would explain that my dad's not feeling the greatest and I have to care for him. People would always tell me I don't look like a carer or I don't seem like I would be one, and I just don't know what that even means,” she explains.
For Jessica, those types of comments were what helped her to develop Sade’s dual identity, with one side of her that's trying to present perfectly on social media, and another side trying to hold her household together. “She’s trying to balance both at the same time, until one tries to encroach on the other.”
We speak about the casting process for Daddy’s Girl, and Jessica shared that she wanted to find someone who could empathise with Sade’s struggles. “There’s a lot of layers in the film, and nuances to Sade’s character that I really wanted the actress to understand. Out of everyone that we auditioned, Precious understood the character the best, and it translates in the film, too, in the way she comes off as genuine and authentic.”
There were a few hard-to-watch scenes in the film, but for Jessica, it was important to reflect on some of the hardships that come with being a carer. “I remember having quite difficult conversations with some of the producers and execs on the film because there were different versions of the ending, where Sade either pushes her dad or does something a bit more extreme,” she says. “But the reason why I wanted that moment to remain in the film was because of my own experience and reading the stories of other carers. Being a carer is such a difficult thing because the person you're caring for is a loved one. But at the same time, there's frustration and pain that comes along with it. It's almost like you can't live a normal life, you can't just go out whenever you want to, because this person might need to be cared for. There's a bitterness that I think isn’t shown in TV and film.”
"Being a carer is such a difficult thing because the person you're caring for is a loved one. But at the same time, there's frustration and pain that comes along with it. There's a bitterness that I think isn’t shown in TV and film."
Sharing such a personal story with the world wasn’t easy, but Jessica felt it was a necessary part of telling the best and most authentic story. “I'm so glad I went through this process because it really taught me that in order to make a good film, you have to be honest and open, even if it's scary and shit.”
“I remember having so many conversations with Danielle, my producer, because she was going through a similar thing as well. We would cry together and laugh together, and share our experiences.”
Her family were initially apprehensive about the story being made public. “Us Nigerians, we don’t like to share too much personal information,” she laughs. “But they understood where I was coming from once I explained that I was being honest and vulnerable to connect with my audience.”
So what’s next for Jessica? Well, Daddy’s Girl is currently being developed into an 8-part TV show. “I’m also gonna be shadow directing on a couple of shows, a sci-fi and a comedy-drama. I just want to learn more about my craft, and gain as much experience as I can.”