The Sun Is Against Us is a student-led film and production company based in Columbia created by Amir Diba, Bryce Ellington, Noah Rostolder and Aaron Jacobs.
Diba, a third-year marketing student, directs videos, makes music, t-shirts, posters and events alongside Ellington, a third-year mechanical engineering student, who acts. Rostolder, a second-year finance student, is the executive producer and manager of the various companies. Jacobs, a third-year film student, also directs and shoots videos.
It all started with the friendship between Diba and Jacobs who had already been creating films during high school.
“Sept. 20, 2023, Aaron and I became friends, and we started talking about how we’re both fascinated with creating videos and different things," Diba said. "We continued creating until we did this music video for a song that I had produced called ‘Adore You’. And we were like, 'Alright, it’s time.'”
After a year's worth of filming and adding people onto their team, they decided that they would need an official name to incorporate in these videos. Rather than viewing certain obstacles like bad lighting as a setback, Jacobs and Diba decided to transform that into a symbol of their process.
“A lot of our videos were lit terribly, meaning we had the sun facing the camera, so it was always overexposed," Diba said. "And we’re like, all right, let’s just do 'The Sun is Against Us.' And then we just went from there.”
With the addition of Rostolder and Ellington expanding creative directions, the company went from a collaboration between friends to an entire creative collective that blends music, film and storytelling into something of their own.
"It’s more than just it being a film company; it’s more so the collective of all of our friends that want to do creative stuff," Jacobs said.
From hip hop to international cinema, The Sun Is Against Us cites diverse influences who also challenge conventions and create their own worlds. Diba said
"I love Tyler Gregory Okonma, I love André Lauren Benjamin, I love Pharrell Williams, Kanye is cool," Diba said. "They're just all the people that have been polarizing with everything they do, and they don't seek out anyone's validation for things."
Rostolder said that he's most influenced by Wu-Tang Clan, specifically "Ghostface Killer". On the video side of things, he's most influenced by the works of Quentin Tarantino and Christopher Nolan.
But not all influences are external, Diba said.
"I'd say Amir is my biggest inspiration, though," Jacobs said. "Cause if I hadn't met Amir, I wouldn't be doing as much video stuff as I do now."
This same mindset applies to their creative process. The group lets the moment dictate the way things should unfold. It’s ultimately the situational and unpredictable that inspires this process, Diba said.
"If I have one mindset for everything, it’s like if I try to take an Apple charger from an iPhone 13 and try to fit it into my iPhone 17 Pro Max ... It just won’t work," Diba said. "So, we just kind of go by what is given to us, and we try to make something fresh out of it.”
Their average production process also reflects their creativity, Diba said. However, they do plan certain aspects such as locations and pulling in friends or collaborators, he said. However, roles change and ideas shift as not everyone shows up, and sometimes scenes don’t come together as imagined, Diba said
“We have almost zero budget, and we’re still refining our process with timing," Rostolder said. "So, a lot of times, our roster of talents, there’s something that completely manifests itself in the video that we intended on making, and the video, actually, ends up being made, and it’s worked very favorably.”
Diba said their films often come together better than they expected to, even though they're fueled by enthusiasm rather than just skill. This also shapes where they’re headed in the future. While they're described as a film and production company, it's expressed that they want to expand beyond just a singular creative medium, Diba said.
“I really see us putting out music, putting out clothes, continuing the music videos and stuff, and trying to do something that’s new, because I think a lot of the stuff that’s out is kind of just like a recycled version of what was previous to it," Diba said. "A lot of people romanticize the '90s or romanticize the 2010s ... but we want to do something that’s polarizing and new.”
It’s a world created, not just temporarily, but an interest that has grown into something much more serious that they hope to incorporate into their everyday lives even after graduating, Rostolder said.
This project has become a central aspect of their college experience, yet it's a passion that also extends beyond that. From clothes to music videos, The Sun Is Against Us isn't afraid to make their mark on Columbia.