Meghan Markle recently reunited with a close friend.
In newly released photos, the Duchess of Sussex — wearing a monochrome brown ensemble — moderates a special screening of Netflix’s short film, The After, with the film’s star David Oyelowo and director Misan Harriman. The chat took place on Nov. 15 at a private residence in Montecito, California, where Meghan lives with Prince Harry and their two children.
The 18-minute film marks Harriman’s directorial debut. According to Netflix, The After “delivers one of the most honest, gut-wrenching portrayals of grief ever captured on camera. The short film tells the story of Dayo, a London man who witnesses a horrific attack that changes his life and forces him to start a journey of healing and reconnecting. In the role of Dayo, David Oyelowo (Selma, Nightingale) gives a profound and emotionally charged performance.”
In an Instagram post, Harriman said it was “extra special” to have Meghan and “so many of my film idols watch this film.”
Harriman said in an interview with Krish Majumdar that despite his success in photography, “cinema was my first love.”
“I found joy, I found love, safety, solace, in cinema and VHS and Betamax videos in the earliest of days,” Harriman said. “I really didn’t think I deserved to have the opportunity to be a storyteller and was kind of programmed to just be happy to be able to consume great art. As I’ve found a sense of stability and love, and thus self-love, in my life, I am now confident enough to try and have a point of view as a filmmaker.”
In addition to having a partnership deal between Netflix and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Archewell Productions, Meghan has previous connections to both men.
Earlier this year, Meghan and Harry’s Archewell Foundation announced the donation of school supplies and menstrual products to young women in Nigeria in partnership with The GEANCO Foundation, whose David Oyelowo Leadership Scholarship provides full tuition, medical care and emotional support to young female victims of terrorism and gender inequality in Nigeria.
Meanwhile, Harriman is behind many of Prince Harry and Meghan’s portraits. The Nigerian-born British photographer snapped the royal couple’s second pregnancy announcement in Feb. 2021 and later the first official photo of their daughter Princess Lilibet at her first birthday party.
Harriman also appeared in the Harry & Meghan series, which debuted on Netflix last December, and has come to their defense on multiple occasions. After a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex told PEOPLE that Harry, Meghan and her mother, Doria Ragland, were involved in a “near catastrophic car chase” while being pursued by “a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi” in New York City in May, Harriman tweeted, “They need to be protected, this is unacceptable and terrifying, they have babies at home….. sigh,” referencing the couple’s children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
The Duchess of Sussex made a surprise appearance via video to introduce the photographer, entrepreneur and social activist via video before his TED Talk earlier this year.
“Our next speaker has an unmatched eye for a good photograph. I’ve experienced his talent firsthand as he’s captured many meaningful milestones for me and my family, and I know there are many others who share in this experience,” Meghan began.
“His lens has photographed everything from events that have changed the world, invisible moments we all desperately needed to see, along with some of the planet’s most recognizable faces,” she continued. “But this was not always his path, and you might be surprised to hear not who, but what, he credits for his success. I’m so thrilled to welcome to the stage, my dear friend, Misan Harriman.”
