The founder of MAAT Films, her very own film production company, New Jersey-born, and New York-bred Nadhege Ptah is getting ready to release her first film Dodo Titi. One of three children raised by Haitian parents in the USA, the actress-screenwriter-director and casting director is ready to step out in a big way. A critically-acclaimed screenwriter, Dodo Titi marks the first time Ptah’s going to explore Haitian themes in one of her productions. The storyline of Dodo Titi centers on a Haitian woman’s immigrant experience
Kreyolicious: Tell us more about yourself.
I danced in my mother’s womb, and leaped my way out at seven months and became the ticket for my parents to stay in America. I continued my dance from the womb to the stage as a trained dancer in modern and ballet and performed with various modern dance ensembles. I choreographed a dance in high school for a play the Caribbean club was presenting. That piece catapulted me to present for the United Nation’s International Day and I also received many invitations for colleges and organizations.
However, I never claimed myself as a dancer overtly because it only remained a hobby. There were pressures in my Haitian upbringing to become a doctor, lawyer, or nurse, as a real goal to achieve success. The arts were frowned upon, so I studied psychology while actively dancing for modern dance companies. I went on to pursue a master’s degree in forensic psychology.
I reached a cross road during graduate school, which derailed my next steps to obtain a Ph.D., and studied drama. It was then that I began to find my voice and passion through various mediums of performing and developing other artistic skill sets as a writer, producer, and director. Overall, I am a creative storyteller using several artistic disciplines that display honest human stories with the intent to inspire and ignite change. 
Kreyolicious: Most filmmakers will tell you that it’s a movie that they saw that changed their lives, and helped them see that visual arts was the way to go. Was that the case with you? What drew you to filmmaking?
I was always drawn by movies, Broadway, musicals, drama, music videos, performances in general. I loved to sing, dance, act and put on shows as a child. I got teased in college for watching music videos all day. I was particularly drawn into the music videos that mirrored a film, like Michael Jackson’s Thriller. I loved the videos that melt the artist’s song into a mini-movie. I would say the visual of capturing a story, magnifying it on a huge screen, and reaching a big audience sparked my interest to transition into being a filmmaker, which encompasses all of my artistic passions.
Kreyolicious: So you have your own film production company…MAAT Films. What goes into running your very own film production company?
Oh boy! That question needs a dissertation response. Okay, let me attempt to summarize this. I run the production company in the same fashion I raised my children – by nurturing it in order to grow. It is a business you are running. There needs to be a plan and vision in place. I continue to shape and mold it based on the vision. I make necessary changes when it’s not working. I protect the vision, and reach out to the necessary village that aligns and believes in the vision to assist with their skills sets that I may lack. I control what can be controlled, but let go and trust, so the vision can breathe and begin to develop a voice and niche.
Kreyolicious: If an aspiring female filmmaker were sitting across from you right now…what tips would you give to her in terms of turbo charging her career?
Get out of your way. Know thyself. Get help—it takes a village. Cancel the internal monsters that say, “It’s not time, I’m not good enough,” and [don’t] procrastinate. Basically, just do it and synchronicity will begin to take place based on actions. Then, the universe will unfold the infinite possibilities.
Kreyolicious: What do your parents think of your having a creative career?
Ha! You know the Haitian push – to be a doctor, lawyer, engineer, or nurse are your only options. Since the birth of the film, the reality of my creative career is finally acknowledged as opposed to: Why are you not practicing psychology? Hence, psychology is practiced through my creativity.
Kreyolicious: What has it been like putting Dodo Titi together?
The story’s backdrop is a storm. Well, life imitated art. There were many storms to overcome to get to the finish line, and we survived.
Be sure to tune in for PART TWO of the interview with Nadhege Ptah. Meanwhile….
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