Chasing the Night

Have you ever experienced a night so perfect you never wanted it to end? When everything – the timing, the setting, the company – feels almost magical, leaving you on top of the world. Director Abraham Adeyemi seeks to capture this feeling on film with his short Chasing the Night, as we follow “friends” Fatimah and Leon as they spend a Wednesday evening getting reacquainted.

“I am in a toxic relationship with that feeling”

A romantic, dialogue-driven piece, Chasing the Night isn’t the type of film I usually gravitate towards, but its polished production and the undeniable chemistry between the leads lends it a magnetic quality impossible to ignore. As we join Fatimah (Deborah Ayorinde) and Leon (Sope Dirisu) as they flit from bar to bar in search of a quiet space to reconnect, their conversations reveal a complicated past and a future that feels inevitable.

“I am in a toxic relationship with that feeling,” Adeyemi admits, reflecting on his love for a great night out. For him, it’s not about the size of the crowd but the company: “It just needs to be the right people, the people who feel right.” Yet, the inspiration for Chasing the Night didn’t just come from this one place, with the writer/director revealing that past relationships, missed connections, and the “loss of a dear friend” all wove together to shape the film’s story.

Deborah Ayorinde (L) and Sope Dirisu star as ex-lovers in Abraham Adeyemi’s Chasing the Night

Watching Chasing the Night, these influences are evident, but what stands out most is its exploration of love. The connection between Fatimah and Leon radiates from the screen, their shared history feeling both rich and authentic. There’s an undeniable love between them – one they openly acknowledge – but Fatimah has also found love elsewhere, raising the question: Can you be in love with more than one person? It’s a question Adeyemi was eager to explore, delving into “whether it is possible, realistic, acceptable” and if “one person can, and/or should, ever be one’s everything.”

For Adeyemi, Chasing the Night was more than just an exploration of love and connection – it was also a chance to step back behind the camera and build on the success of his debut short, No More Wings. With several projects in development – including a feature-length version of Chasing the Night, the romantic drama Teacher & I, and the series South London, I Love You (co-created with fellow S/W alums John Ogunmuyiwa and Femi Oladigbolu) – the film also serves as a statement of intent. Adeyemi aims to tell “universal stories that just happen to have Black people – and all the nuances that come with Blackness – at the heart of them.”

We can’t wait to see them!