Image via Jordan Rose

 

Written By: Evan Spann, Features Writer

 

Ssuuna McKitty dreamed about acting in movies and television shows since he was a kid. The Chicagoan manifested this dream into a reality. 

 

McKitty released his first official trailer for his “It’s Our Time” project on October 7, 2023. He directed, wrote, executive produced, and starred in the film. The full-length film is not publicly available as it continues circulation through festival competitions. 

 

“It’s Our Time” is a thought-provoking drama told through the lens of Malcolm King, played by McKitty, a promising student-leader in his community attending the top HBCU in the country, Tubman University in Atlanta, Georgia. Malcolm is exceptional but is forced to reckon with his traumatic, racially motivated experience at the hands of law enforcement.

 

Navigating young adulthood, Malcolm King faces microaggressions, criminalization, relationship turmoil and mental health challenges. 

 

McKitty intentionally did not want to reinforce a stereotypical perspective of young adult black life because growing up he did not feel represented on television as a child.

 

“They were always showing the black kid as the unwanted bad kid in a lot of shows, and I feel like that really affected how I viewed myself as a young black man growing up,” McKitty said.

 

Black characters in the media are written as one-dimensional and stereotypical—the sidekick,  the athlete, the rose that grew from concrete or the black bourgeois baby. Black men’s interests and talents vary as much as any other group, yet never seem to be depicted consistently. McKitty aims to change this. 

 

“Once I make it, I want to be able to pour back into people who look like me to get into this industry.  I just want to make a path for people, you know, make some steps for them to follow. I want to eventually have a production company to help finance and fund all types of projects in different art forms,” McKitty said. 

 

The sophomore business marketing major was an artistically inclined child.  His first audition was as a five-year-old in a Frosty the Snowman play, and until he was 14, he performed at The Second City improvisation enterprise in Chicago. 

 

McKitty stepped off the stage and onto the field as he entered high school. He was a standout, four-year varsity athlete recruited for football by several schools. Everything changed one day at a recruiting camp during his junior year when he was severely injured. 

 

“During our linebacker tackling drill, I broke my leg in between a set, and nobody helped me up,” McKitty said.  “Me hopping off that field by myself, and like none of the coaches cared, it was kinda like that moment where they just checked the box off and were like, ‘yeah, we don’t want you anymore.’ I realized at that moment that I was just another number.”

 

He returned to the stage and enrolled in the Chicago Acting Studio.  Participating in high school theater and his school comedy show, McKitty anticipated his future.

 

McKitty ingratiated himself into the AUC film community by acting in Spelman College’s 10-minute play and attending the Atlanta Film Festival and Morehouse College Human Rights Festival.  

 

Inspiration for the opening scene of “It’s Our Time” came from a film he watched at the Morehouse College Human Rights Festival.  

 

“It was one scene, just one guy running down a street. The way that I envision ideas for a film starts from a small thing like that, a small spark. I saw that, and the ideas started flowing,” McKitty said. This scene resonated deeply with him. 

 

“There have been times in my life where I would go for a run, and I would fear for my life sometimes,” McKitty said. “There would be times when I would run and cross the street when a woman was walking towards me because I didn’t want to make them uncomfortable.”

 

The haunting Ahmaud Arbery case sparked this fear. McKitty decided to include Malcolm King’s psychological struggle. 

 

“I feel like a lot of us don’t realize that we have this subconscious trauma from seeing other people deal with things and like seeing the murders and violence and the destruction of the Black body in America,” McKitty said.

 

There were times he was accosted by police for things he didn’t do and had friends roughed up by police. He wanted this film to show the killing and destruction of the Black body as the cause of Black mental health issues.

 

Many Black men are raised against expectations from society to forego emotional wellness and focus on protecting and providing. McKitty believes Morehouse to be a haven for Black men to express themselves. 

 

“What’s really special about Morehouse is we see the importance and value of friendships and talking to your friends about issues we have going on,” McKitty said.

 

At the end of the film, Malcolm and his girlfriend reconcile issues they confront throughout the movie with open and honest communication, understanding, and empathy. “The only way we can really get through these things is black love,” McKitty said.

 

“It’s Our Time” is a project supported by people McKitty met during his early time on campus. His director of photography, Jordan Rose, is a Morehouse alumnus, and his co-star, Nina Cajuste, is a Spelman student who acted within the 10-minute play. “All the different connections I made first semester freshman year helped me,” McKitty said.

 

“What I would tell a lot of filmmakers is the importance of networking, like building a network, because I was able to lead a team of 15 people, and we shot that in one day,” McKitty said.

 

The film opened doors for McKitty in the film industry over the 2023 summer. 

 

“I was able to get an internship this past summer with Lionsgate, and I was working in LA on creative development and marketing.”

 

He had the opportunity to understand how the film industry works and the complete process of filmmaking and marketing. Last November, McKitty was selected for the Momentu College Shorts Film Festival.

 

“I just feel destined to do what I’m doing and do great things.” 

 

Copy Edited By: Elijah Megginson, Features Editor