Interviews: the personal stories behind Nikyatu Jusu's award winning Nanny

Debut features don’t get much more successful. Nikyatu Jusu’s Nanny, which arrives in cinemas this week, scooped the Grand Jury Prize at this year’s Sundance and, for the writer/director, it was a story with a personal connection that cried out to be told.

The horror/thriller is set in what looks like the American Dream, with a successful career couple employing Aisha (Anna Diop), a qualified teacher from Senegal, as a nanny for their little girl. But all is not what it seems. Aisha is working undocumented in the family’s home, being paid is always difficult and the strain between her and the couple – especially with the mother Amy (Michelle Monaghan) – soon begins to show. Plus she finds herself haunted by figures from West African legends and folklore, which could be a warning …..

In the interview below, Jusu talks about growing up in Atlanta with her Sierra Leonean parents and how her mother had a number of jobs, including domestic work, which “often goes unnoticed, even though they’re sustaining societies and systems.” Diop agrees, describing how making the film reminded her of her own upbringing, as well as reflecting how important it was for her, as Senegalese, to portray somebody from her own country. And Monaghan explains why it was important to tell this particular story and to see a film made from the perspective of an undocumented immigrant.