Art House Extra | Artists as Superheroes

Kansas City filmmaker Khalid Abdulqaadir’s work is animated by a recurring theme: Artists can save the world.

It was the subtext in “Disarm,” which explored the fraught path to reconciliation between law enforcement and the community it serves. The 2020 short film featured a local rapper and members of the Kansas City Police Department.

It is even more explicit in the teaser to “Sapiens,” an upcoming feature film also written and directed by Abdulqaadir.

“ ‘Sapiens’ is a superhero action film about artists who are superheroes,” he said. “So their superpowers are manifested through their artistic abilities.”

That may sound a bit lofty to some folks. But the filmmaker is utterly committed to his message.

“If there’s one thing I would say to people interested in getting into filmmaking, I would say: ‘Just do it,’ ” Abdulqaadir said.

Check out the attached video to learn more.