How two South African storytellers joined musical forces for Star Wars: Visions

Aau's Song, part of the franchise's returning animated series, is inspired by their lives and a quest to sing freely

A still from Aau's Song, from Star Wars: Visions Volume 2. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd

Before Nadia Darries and Daniel Clarke co-wrote and co-directed Aau’s Song, one of the nine new episodes that make up season two of Star Wars: Visions, the pair had never actually met or spoken.

“We worked at the same studio. But we only saw each other at a distance,” explains Darries.

It all changed when they realised their shared connections and the story that was waiting to be told together. The short centres on a character called Aau who loves to sing but is made to stay quiet by her father, lest her voice damages the crystals in the nearby mines.

After Clarke read Darries's pitch for Aau’s Song, he was so impressed that he immediately sought her out. “I just loved the idea of connecting to the force through singing. I could immediately see the potential for the idea,” says Clarke.

Both Clarke and Darries work at Triggerfish Animation Studios in Cape Town, South Africa, which is where they made the episode. The animated anthology series is made up of stories set in, or inspired by, the Star Wars universe. While the first season’s episodes were made entirely by Japanese studios, the second was opened up to production companies around the world.

Scroll through the gallery below for more pictures from season two of Star Wars: Visions

The chance to showcase such eclectic Star Wars stories is what makes Visions so important. “They reveal a part of the universe that you wouldn't see otherwise,” says Darries. “People from all sides of the world are inspired by Star Wars in some way.”

When Darries and Clarke finally did sit down to talk about the project, Darries says they instantly had a creative chemistry, bonding over the same influences. However, during their conversation, they didn’t just talk about their cinematic, television or artistic inspirations, they also opened up about other details of their personal lives.

“We just started excavating each others’ histories and lives,” recalls Clarke. “We wanted to see what of each other we could put into the film and what sort of emotional truths we could share.”

Their initial connection even convinced Darries to rewrite the pitch that she had been working on. It was these adjustments that convinced Lucasfilm to hire the pair and Triggerfish Animation Studios to make Aau’s Song, which will be released on Disney+ alongside the rest of the episodes of Star Wars: Visions on Thursday.

Aau’s Song revolves around the titular alien child Aau, voiced by Mpilo Jantjie, who is raised by her loving but very stern father. As well as Jantjie, Aau’s Song also features the voice of Tumisho Masha, Faith Baloyi, and Grammy and Tony Award winner Cynthia Erivo.

These discussions proved to be particularly profound because the pair are from very different cultures and backgrounds, and have had extraordinarily different experiences in life. “African people are so separated,” says Darries, with Clarke then immediately adding: “Because, ironically, we actually grew up really close to each other.”

“I actually think we were a little intimidated by each other when we first met,” adds Darries. “But the more we spoke, the more we found concrete things to share and use as themes for the story. We were able to build the story around those themes. It was such a rewarding experience.”

While writing and directing Aau’s Song, Darries and Clarke dived into how their own parents and grandparents had “tried to make them act a certain way because that’s how they think you should behave", Clarke says. Darries is hopeful that this topic will resonate deeply with modern audiences because of just how “fast the world is changing".

“Kids have to find their own way. That’s not to discard the old way,” says Darries. “We didn’t want the character of the father to stereotypically not approve of his child. We wanted him to be relatable, empathetic and a good guy. He’s just trying to protect his daughter. But that doesn’t fit exactly with who she wants to be.”

For Darries, this chimed with her own past growing up in a conservative Muslim household. “The men are always singing," she says. "It seemed beautiful. But women were never really allowed.” That’s exactly what Darries wanted to do, though. So in order to fill this void, she would sneak out and sing in rock bands.

“We always sucked,” says Darries. “But making music and singing was so powerful. I was able to make huge connections through singing and music. There are so many cultures where singing and chanting connect people. Not just to each other, but to the spirit in the land.”

Darries leaned heavily into these memories and feelings when creating the character of Aau, who, like Darries when she was younger, just wants to sing to be able to express herself. “We chose a girl whose singing voice wasn’t actually perfect or flawless,” continues Darries. “We avoided the temptation of making the story about her musicality.”

When it comes to the impact that Star Wars has made on their creative lives, both Darries and Clarke are the first to admit that, while they have watched previous instalments in the franchise, they never grew up being diehard fans.

“The first Star Wars film I saw was Phantom Menace. Which I loved,” notes Clarke. “But I think I only really enjoyed all the original Star Wars films when I got a bit older.”

Clarke was always in awe of the epic world that Lucas created with Star Wars, though. Especially when it came to how he mixed sci-fi, fantasy and space operas together, while also always trying to do something new. “That helped so much when it came to exploring the world for Aau’s Song,” adds Clarke. “It felt boundless. I had so much fun designing in it.”

Over the last two years, as Darries and Clarke have worked tirelessly on Aau’s Song, they’ve had nothing but support from Lucasfilm executives, they say, especially when it came to making the story at the heart of the film so personal, which is one of the key reasons why he thinks the franchise has continued to be so popular.

“What we’ve always respected about Star Wars is that its core ethos is that the franchise is really for young people,” says Clarke. “It’s hopeful. It’s optimistic. You can’t make a cynical Star Wars movie. It’s impossible.”

Season two of Star Wars: Visions will be released on Disney+ on Thursday