Oh, the beauty of passion projects! When you do something out of passion, whatever work is involved doesn’t really feel like work. You have all the energy in the world to create what you have envisioned. This sort of thinking fueled Chicago-bred and Los Angeles-based filmmaker, Eliyannah Amirah Yisrael to create her YouTube series Hermione Granger and the Quarter Life Crisis.Yisrael is gaining traction as an emerging filmmaker and avid lover of literature. She has worked with Twentieth Century Fox, Warner Bros. Entertainment for productions like Divergent, Empire, and Westworld.  Also, she’s been featured in LA Times for her work on the web series and love for Harry Potter.

The second season of Hermione Granger and the Quarter Life Crisis series has returned with episode four now live on YouTube! Yisrael’s web series follows Hermione years after Hogwarts. She’s living in Los Angeles and trying to navigate love, relationships and most of all overcoming trauma. If you are a Harry Potter lover or grasp an understanding of where the novels ended– there was a huge war that destabilized the wizarding world. One of the strong aspects of the show is addressing the issues of what Hermione had to sacrifice during the war.

The Hermione Granger Series in Action!

If you’ve been following my Instagram, you’ll know that I have been dropping behind the scenes photos from the production of HGQLC. The series is wrapped for season two, yet I came across a casting call in August while the filming was underway and I took a leap of faith to be a part of the cast for a day. The whole day was a whirlwind of fun! I truly enjoyed meeting Yisrael, the amazing Ashley Romans, Chase Yi, Tamara French, Gabby Shaikh, and so many other cast members. The crew was so welcoming and kind!

It was a very busy day, moving from scene to scene, but when I spoke with Yisrael, she explained that as a reader of the Harry Potter series, she wasn’t satisfied with how the story ended. She noticed that in the books, Hermione’s physical descriptions weren’t explored/clearly defined yet that was different in the fanfiction she came across and of course in the acclaimed film productions. “In fanfiction she was explicitly white,” Yisrael stated between filming. Therefore, she decided to present a different viewpoint and bring some #blackgirlmagic to Hermione’s character.

What I like about the show is how it’s focused on seeing Hermione as a realistic and flawed character, piecing together bit by bit the aftermath of the war. Issues of post-traumatic stress are also explored. Most of all, it’s so great to see the characters we love in a different light, grown-up and re-imagined.

I invite you to watch the series and catch up if you haven’t already. You don’t want to miss catching a familiar face (aka me!) making an appearance in the second half of the series. Stay tuned to catch more great cameos; rumor has it, bestselling author of Children of Blood and Bone, Tomi Adeyemi will be featured. The amazing fantasy writer definitely made a trip to the set.

While on set Yisrael told me, “I’m a filmmaker and a fan, not a fan filmmaker.” I saw the distinction in action. Where the show shines, which we get to see more in season 2, is the production. The cinematography is well thought out/directed. I truly got to see just how much went into filming the show: a whole lot of hard work, passion, and hours. There was an impressive schedule that was well executed through the day from scene to scene. The director knew what she wanted and had a fantastic team of talented people with her to turn her vision into reality. Her never-ending drive, matched with her crew, even propelled the web series into the Chicago Southside Film Festival. I greatly appreciated the backstage experience. I think Eliyannah is a filmmaker to watch out for– she is determined to cultivate her dreams and bring people of color to the forefront of her work with her company Sunshine Moxie Entertainment. Go watch the show!

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Best,

Kai 😀