“For 2 years, I lived and worked in Accra, Ghana. It was clear from the first moment of leaving the airport that the impacts of pollution and environmental issues were affecting this place far more than anywhere I had lived before. In exploring the city, I found an environmental enterprise called Trashy Bags Africa, dedicated to upcycling plastic waste, giving back to underserved communities in Ghana, and educating the general public on the impacts of plastic in everyday life. This is where I met Derrick. Derrick and I met, sparked a friendship, and thought of ways we could work together to tell an environmental story in Ghana. This is when BOLA was born. What if we just let different people tell us about their lives and what matters to them, instead of asking people to tell us how plastic affects them? People understand that plastic waste is a problem, and another story of all the ways it is bad didn't seem like it would have the ability to resonate with anyone. The waste is apparent. Anyway you point the camera, you'll see it. It can be the silent setting, the framework to bind these vignettes together. People over problems. I am incredibly proud of the film we have made and hope that if people see it, they are compelled to think about how they can make their corner of the world a bit better.”

-Ryan Nichols (Director of BOLA)