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Stars: David Oyelowo, Jessica Plummer, Amelie Dokubo, Ellen Francis, Sule Rimi, Tara-Binta Collins, Izuka Hoyle, Dominique Tipper, Nikesh Patel | Written by Misan Harriman, John Julius Schwabach | Directed by Misan Harriman

Marking his directorial debut, director Misan Harriman opens The After with a familiar sight. Dayo (David Oyelowo) is a workaholic father who wears a suit and talks business on the phone, even while with his daughter. As he makes the decision to postpone a meeting in order to spend time with his family, that happiness is changed in a flash when tragedy strikes in violent ways.

The short film then cuts to a later time, with Dayo now living a solitary life working as a rideshare driver. He picks up various passengers, many of whom carry their own problems that he can relate to. As this short centres on him, Oyelowo delivers a terrific performance as the man pushing down his inner pain,...

The After hit Netflix back in October and in truth, I’d missed the boat on watching it but yesterday we got an email from the PR promoting the film asking if we’d like to do one last interview before we shut up shop for Christmas. None of our legendary interviewer pool were available and I’ve not done a junket in about 6 years but for some reason, I was really intrigued to take it on, and I’m so glad I did.

The After is a 16-minute short film directed by Misan Harriman, a name more synonymous with stills photography. Misan was the first Black photographer to shoot the September cover of British Vogue, with commissions including royal, private, and high-profile portraiture, with subjects including Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, Angelina Jolie, Jay-Z, Tom Cruise, the list goes on.

The After is the first time Misan has dabbled...

In Netflix’s live-action short The After, a man named Dayo (David Oyelowo, who also serves as executive producer) loses his wife and child in a brutal public display of violence. Describing his film’s intense and shocking opening scene, director Misan Harriman compares it to “an act of God” — one born out of the “collective trauma of 2020.” What follows is Dayo’s recovery as he draws into himself, taking on a job as a rideshare driver to limit the intimacy of interactions with others — that is, until a family of three riders forces him to confront his long-simmering emotions.

Oyelowo says it was Harriman’s work as a photographer that inspired him to join the film, which Harriman co-wrote with John Julius Schwabach. “I had been paying attention to his photographs during the Black Lives Matter movement in that hellacious period of Covid,” says the actor. “Each of those...

Exclusive: The After, the debut short from photographer Misan Harriman, best known for his portraits of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, will debut on Netflix on October 25 after screening at the London Film Festival.

The Oscar-qualified short stars David Oyelowo and comes from a story by Harriman, with a screenplay by writer John Julius Schwabach. The story follows Dayo (Oyelowo), a Londoner who has to reconnect with himself and society after witnessing a devastating random attack in the capital.

Si Bell Bsc served as DoP while Nicky Bentham of Neon Films, and Oyelowo via his Yoruba Saxon Productions produced.

The After is Harriman’s first narrative film project. A self-taught photographer, he is the first black person to shoot the September cover of British Vogue. His photography work has also been featured in Vanity Fair,...