Dreaming Whilst Black’s Adjani Salmon faced ‘similar difficulties’ to Kwabena

Dreaming Whilst Black official trailer

Adjani Salmon lifted the lid on his experience as a showrunner and how it related to his Dreaming Whilst Black character, Kwabena.

As well as working behind the scenes, Adjani starred as the main character who hated his dead-end recruitment job and longed to be a filmmaker.

Kwabena faced obstacles financially and struggled to get his Windrush love story, Jamaica Road on the big screens in a White-dominated industry.

The first episode saw the character secure a place on a program for “underrepresented voices” but Kwabena feared being pigeonholed when he was forced to choose between his passion project or a generic film on gang violence.

In an interview with Express.co.uk, Salmon reflected on his career and revealed he faced similar challenges getting this show on screens.

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Alongside financial instability, Kwabena struggled to get his foot in the film industry without connections, while dealing with racist microaggressions in his day-to-day life.

Salmon disclosed: “I would almost argue that we faced similar challenges getting Dreaming Whilst Black on screen.”

The actor was able to overcome the hurdles as he paid tribute to his team who ensured the show found its way to success.

He continued: “Thankfully there was Sarah Asante who was our original commissioning editor.

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“And then there was Tanya Qureshi who came in after Sarah left to spearhead us into life.”

Dreaming Whilst Black originally premiered in 2021 as a webcast television pilot and after landing a BAFTA, the series was developed on BBC Three earlier this year and proved to be a hit.

The comedy has also received rave reviews from fans and critics alike, scoring an enviable 100 percent on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes.

Speaking on his success and recent BAFTA Breakthrough Award win, Salmon stated: “It feels amazing, it feels wonderful to see what feels like a community effort and celebrate it that way.”

See the full BAFTA Breakthrough list below:

UK BAFTA Breakthroughs:

Adjani Salmon, writer/performer/exec producer – Dreaming Whilst Black

Bella Ramsey, performer – The Last of Us

Cash Carraway, creator/writer/exec producer – Rain Dogs

Charlotte Regan, writer/director – Scrapper

Cynthia De La Rosa, hair & makeup artist – Everyone Else Burns

Ella Glendining, director – Is There Anybody Out There?

Funmi Olutoye, lead producer – ‘Black History Makers’ (Good Morning Britain)

Georgia Oakley, writer/director – Blue Jean

Holly Reddaway, voice and performance director – Baldur’s Gate 3

Joel Beardshaw, lead designer – Desta: The Memories Between

Kat Morgan, hair & makeup designer – Blue Jean

Kathryn Ferguson, writer/director – Nothing Compares

Kitt (Fiona) Byrne, 2D artist/game designer – Gibbon: Beyond the Trees

Michael Anderson, producer – Desta: The Memories Between

Pete Jackson, writer/creator – Somewhere Boy

Raine Allen-Miller, director – Rye Lane

Rosy McEwen, performer – Blue Jean

Samantha Béart, performer – The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow

Talisha ‘Tee Cee’ Johnson, writer/director/presenter – Too Autistic for Black

Vivian Oparah, performer – Rye Lane

 

US BAFTA Breakthroughs:

Amanda Kim, documentary director – Nam June Paik: Moon Is The Oldest TV

Aminah Nieves, performer – 1923 and Blueberry (Film/TV)

Apoorva Charan, producer – Joyland

Cheyenne Morrin, senior games writer – Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

Edward Buckles Jr. documentary director – Katrina Babies

Gary Gunn, composer – A Thousand and One

Jingyi Shao, writer & director – Chang Can Dunk

Maria Altamirano, producer – All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt

Santiago Gonzalez, cinematographer – Shortcomings

Shelly Yo, writer & director – Smoking Tigers

Sing J Lee, writer & director – The Accidental Getaway Driver

Vuk Lungulov-Klotz, writer & director – Mutt

 

India BAFTA Breakthroughs:

Abhay Koranne, writer – Rocket Boys

Abhinav Tyagi, editor – An Insignificant Man

Don Chacko Palathara, director/writer – Joyful Mystery

Kislay, director – Soni

Lipika Singh Darai, director/writer – Some Stories Around Witches

Miriam Chandy Mencherry, producer – From the Shadows and The Leopard’s Tribe

Pooja Rajkumar Rathod, cinematographer – Secrets of the Elephants

Sanal George, sound editor/mixer/designer – Gangubai Kathiawadi

Satya Rai Nagpaul, cinematographer – Ghoomketu

Shardul Bhardwaj, performer – Eeb Allay Ooo!

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