Land of the Conqueroo

Director LaKase Cousino grew up in Kansas where she was introduced to film at a young age as a means of education as well as entertainment. From George Lucas and Hayao Miyazaki to Ken Burns and Julie Dash, LaKase was inundated with imagery that would forever change her appreciation of worlds beyond her own. She began her professional writing career in 2017 as a freelance journalist and released her debut novel in 2021. She is an alum of the New York Film Academy Filmmaking Workshop, where she wrote, directed, and starred in short films exploring the bonds of family. LaKase is a proud descendant of the emancipated Black Americans who overcame many obstacles to settle in the Midwestern United States in pursuit of true freedom. Additionally, as a relative of Oscar Micheaux, the first Black filmmaker, LaKase feels it is her duty to honor the stories of marginalized peoples on film and in print in a continuation of his legacy. “Land of the Conqueroo” is LaKase’s professional directorial debut and serves as an homage to the Black people defying every barrier set before them to claim their human rights in the United States.