Daisy Ifama

Multi-skilled director Daisy Ifama grew up amongst people from all walks of life, moving house often, and learning to embrace differences at a young age. This singular perspective has influenced her to create work that explores her own identity and beliefs as a founding member of the beloved media platform gal – dem. Her most recent film for the Guardian Documentary strand, RIP Seni, follows what happened as mysterious graffiti launched a discussion about race, mental health and injustice in the UK. We grabbed a few minutes with Daisy between shoots to discover what advice means to her.

Interview by Lisa Cadwallader

Lisa Cadwallader

The most important piece of advice you’ve ever received...

Daisy Ifama

When I was at university I was sitting in an edit suite finishing up my final year film and my good friend at the time, Beth, came to hang out with me. I was about to go and have a difficult conversation with another friend and I think she probably knew I needed some words of wisdom. Beth was two years older than me, really strong willed and way better at communicating her feelings than anyone else I’ve ever met. So before I left she very frankly said to me: Remember, this person is not a mindreader and they won’t know what you haven’t told them i.e come to the discussion with honesty and everything you need to say, don’t beat around the bush, you have to get to the root of the issue to really work it out. I remember thinking, wow she can really see how my brain is working and she’s right! It’s stuck with me through both work and life – you can’t expect people to know what you’re thinking, you have to tell them how you feel and get to the bottom of things to make them better. I’ve found it a lot easier to do in work vs my life, but I’ll keep trying!

LC The living person I’d most like to interview is…

DI The author of Keisha Da Sket, Jade LB. It’s a series of chapters about a girl called Keisha that my friends and I used to bluetooth to each other back in the day. It really was the gift that kept on giving and I’d love to know what the mysterious author was thinking when it all blew up.

LC Someone in my field I look up to and why...

DI Mahaneela! She’s a multidisciplinary artist from London with roots in Ghana, India and Jamaica. She has such a great creative career and has really successfully managed to not be boxed in – she’s a film director, photographer, DJ and runs a creative agency with producer Sadé Lawson. She’s just killing it and it’s always so sick to watch a UK gal doing bits over in America.

LC The person I’m most proud to know...

DI Janay Dorrance. She found me online when I was just bumbling through the world and she really did change my out look on life and the course of my career by brin g ing me into Google Creative Lab. She’s so loving and gentle and just an incredible person all round. I am so so thankful to have her in my life.

LC My childhood hero/my current hero…

DI My Mum, always was and always will be! She’s just such a legend, and lived a very exciting and fun life and raised me by herself. She has such a great approach to life and is just my bezzie and I love her.

LC How I think happiness will be measured in the future…

DI By how at peace you are. These last two years have really tested my happiness and where it lies and I think it does all come down to how at peace I am to really accept happiness back into my life, which sounds really sad - but it’s true!

LC How I support my best friend…

DI My best friend Heather (they/them) moved to the UK from New Zealand when they were five and then they moved back when we were 19. We saw each other for the first time in six years at the start of 2020, which was amazing and very emotional. Most of our adult friendship has been via WhatsApp, which is so weird to think about because we grew up pretty much as siblings in the same house. We post each other little treats and care packages and speak mainly through back and forth voice notes.

LC How I make decisions…

DI I usually try and lay out the issue at hand, make a list of pros and cons, listen to what truly feels right in my soul and then check in with my Mum and my girlfriend before I make the final decision

SM How I’d improve cities in one day...

DI I’d protect social housing.

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