Description
Enongo is an intimate and formally inventive documentary that follows Enongo Lumumba-Kasongo--also known as Sammus--as she navigates the intersecting worlds of music, academia, and identity. Directed by Kevin Schreck, the film captures a period of intense creative and personal evolution, as Enongo balances touring, recording, and teaching while pursuing a PhD at Cornell University.
At its core, the film explores the complexities of existing across multiple spaces that don't always align--hip-hop artist, scholar, Black woman, and self-described nerd--without reducing any of those identities to a single narrative. Through her afrofuturist-inspired music, Enongo addresses themes of race, feminism, mental health, and belonging, building a body of work that resonates across communities from underground hip-hop to academic circles and gaming culture.
Schreck's approach blends cinéma vérité footage with striking hand-drawn animation, created entirely by an all-Black women team--an unprecedented achievement in feature filmmaking. These sequences visualize Enongo's internal world, adding emotional and conceptual depth to the documentary by translating abstract thoughts and lived experiences into vivid imagery. The result is a hybrid form that moves fluidly between observation and introspection.
The film traces Enongo's journey from her upbringing in Ithaca to her years teaching in Houston and her return to Cornell, illustrating how her artistic voice has been shaped by both personal history and intellectual inquiry. Along the way, it captures the tension and synergy between creative expression and academic rigor, showing how each informs the other in her work.
Presented here on Blu-ray, Enongo includes a robust set of supplemental materials that expand on its themes and production. A full-length audio commentary with director Kevin Schreck, composer EmmoLei Sankofa, and the animation team provides detailed insight into the film's creation, while multiple Q&A sessions--from the Hip Hop Film Festival, Philadelphia Film Festival, and Denton Black Film Festival--offer further context from the filmmakers and collaborators. Additional features such as storyboard-to-animation comparisons highlight the craft behind the film's distinctive visual language.
With recognition from festivals including the Harlem International Film Festival, Twin Cities Film Fest, and a Best of the Fest win at the Hip Hop Film Festival, Enongo stands as a unique and resonant portrait of a modern artist navigating identity on her own terms--thoughtful, challenging, and deeply personal.
Media
Bonus Materials
- Full-length audio commentary track by director Kevin Schreck, composer EmmoLei Sankofa, and animators
- Q&A at the Hip Hop Film Festival with subject Enongo Lumumba-Kasongo, director Kevin Schreck, and animators Shammah McVay & Anaiyah Tatiana
- Animation-themed Q&A at the Philadelphia Film Festival with director Kevin Schreck and animator Anaiyah Tatiana
- Music-themed Q&A at the Denton Black Film Festival with director Kevin Schreck and composer EmmoLei Sankofa
- Storyboard to Final Animation comparisons
Cast & Crew
Actors:
- Enongo Lumumba-Kasongo as self
- Lanre Akinsiku as self
- Zöe Brecher as self
- Adrienne Hailey as self
- N'Dri Thérèse Assié-Lumumba as self
- Alejandro Tello as self
Director: Kevin Schreck
Producer: Kevin Schreck
Additional Details
Label: IndiePix Films
Genre: Documentary
Language: English
Run Time: 92 mins
Region: 0
Release Date: 08/11/26
UPC: 845637064991