Artemisa Ferreira, interview with Cape Verdean filmmaker by Bassirou Niang (Africiné)

Artemisa Ferreira, young Cape Verdean filmmaker

"In Cape Verde, companies still do not have confidence in film projects"

Interview by Bassirou Niang, journalist at Africiné Magazine

Source: africine.org. Publ: 14/12/2022

Translated from French by Beti Ellerson, an African Women in Cinema Blog collaboration with Africine.org. 

Photo © Josiana Cardoso

En Français : http://africine.org/entretien/artemisa-ferreira-jeune-realisatrice-cap-verdienne/15513?

Artemisa Ferreira a young filmmaker who lives and works in Praia, Cape Verde, holds a Masters in Film and Television Directing. When she walked through the gates of the university her goal was not to fall into the world of cinema. However, that was her destiny. In retrospect, for her it was the best decision she could have made in her life. "I loved watching films, discussing them, reflecting on the how the scenes are put together. “On the first day of class I realized that I was where I needed to be.”

Talk about you film projects so far.

For my graduation project, I presented a short documentary called Identidade Repartida [in 2013]. It was more specifically a reportage that talks about the identity of the descendants of Cape Verdeans who were born in Portugal in order to better understand their experiences around identity and their true nationality. The majority of descendants of Cape Verdeans suffer from an identity problem. This led me to delve into the issue and carry out my final project for the Masters on the subject.

Identidade Repartida from artemisa ferreira on Vimeo

In addition, I made the 1-minute short, Oji (" Today ") [directed in 2015, receiving multi-awards], presented during the Oia festival in 2022. The inspiration for the film developed from the phenomenon of fake love relationships on Facebook. We say "I love you!" on Facebook, but once face to face, we ignore each other. In family relationships, there is distance, and strangely enough, it's like on social media where we can't create a real human connection.

And finally, I have just completed my first feature documentary [Os 47's - Depoimentos que ficaram] which relates the problems of drought and famine in Cape Verde in 1940. Drawing from the testimonies, it recounts the hardships that the people endured. Cape Verde lost around 40% of its population to famine in the 1940s. On 14 October 2022, the film premiered in Praia.

Film projects in progress? 

I'm working on my next documentary which focuses on the singer and diplomat Renato Cardoso. He contributed to the ascendancy of Cape Verdean music, but he died in circumstances that have never been elucidated. Currently, I am in the process of looking for funding.

I am also writing a screenplay for a fiction with a strong psychological dimension, since it addresses the duality with the intimate. In addition to directing, screenwriting is another passion.

Do you work in partnership with other directors from foreign countries?

Not yet, but I plan to do so in the near future.

Do you have difficulties in carrying out your profession as a filmmaker?

Not at all ! I love being a filmmaker, and when you love something, the difficulties are just details for you. Filmmaking allows one to duplicate oneself, but also create a new world, denounce what is not right, to educate, to raise awareness, and I like that a lot. The difficulty I may have is not being able to get the funding needed in time to complete my work. In Cape Verde, at the moment, we cannot live from cinema. You have to find additional activities to earn a living.

Exactly, how are you able to obtain funding?

I send requests everywhere, including to sponsors. All the films I've made so far, I've made with my salary. I have even accumulated debt that I must repay. Now, the Ministry of Culture and Creative Industry has created the NuNac (The National Center for Cinema of Cape Verde) which will be able to give financial assistance to projects. For the production of my documentary Os 47's - Depoimentos que ficaram (" 1940s, the testimonies that remained "), my friends assisted me as best they could. As I had no funding, I did all the production work (sound, image, post-production); which can be the cause of technical shortcomings, especially in sound quality.

What is you view of cinema in Cape Verde?

In Cape Verde, we are at the beginning stages of our cinema and we do not have the technical conditions that allow us to do exactly what we want to do.

The biggest problem for cinema in Cape Verde is to find funding. Companies still don't have confidence in film projects. They still don't see the value of cinema or what can be gained from it. On the other hand, we have the physical and nature settings for filming. Many young university graduates are beginning to take their first steps in cinema. But, the conditions for professional fulfillment must also be there.

There is some consolation in that we do have some international film festivals in our country, which help to draw attention to local production. Also, many of our colleagues have already started working on international co-productions. And all this demonstrates the value of the work that is done on site. I think the production and financing conditions will be met soon and this will have a positive impact on the quality of the films.

Interview conducted by Bassirou Niang