Mis Me Binga 2012 edition 3 : report/compte rendu - International Women’s Film Festival | Festival international de films de femmes

Interview with Narcisse Wandji, the chief representative of Mis Me Binga and translation from French to English by Beti Ellerson, 25 March 2012. The third edition of the international women’s film festival was held from 8 to 11 March in Yaoundé Cameroon.

Greetings Narcisse, what are your impressions of the 3rd edition of Mis Me Binga 2012?

Well, the Festival was a success. This third edition hailed 250 films from across the globe and welcomed as many as 5,000 participants.

This year the festival saw the birth of a network of film festival organisers from Cameroon, which are currently working on its charter, of which the details will be given to you later.

In addition, we had the honour of welcoming Professor Ute Fendler, who teaches African studies and cinema at the University of Bayreuth in Germany. She discussed the economic issues regarding the film industry in Africa. It was very inspiring!

The prizes and winners for 2012…

In terms of the prizes, I must note that the jury’s task was not at all easy. Out of 250 films, 30 were selected.

The festival awards three prizes each year: The Golden Minga for the best fiction film, the Golden Minga for the best documentary and the Special jury prize.

The Golden Minga for the best fiction film was awarded for El Padre (The Father) by Patricia Venti from Spain. The Special jury prize was awarded for Zebu and the Photofish to Kenyan Zippy Nyaruri.

The jury did not award the Golden Minga for best documentary this year because in their estimation, none of the documentaries met the necessary standards for the prize. While the themes of the films were relevant, their superficial treatment and technical problems were the factors that prevented the selection of a film that merited the award.

However, two films received an honourable mention, Computer by Peggy Mbiyu from Kenya and Nebuleuse by Sandrine Batsotsa from Cameroon.

In your opinion, what could better ensure that the quality of the film selections are up to par in order to not have the reoccurrence of the documentary category without a prize awarded?

Good question! In the first place, we did not receive many documentaries, which, to note, were short films. All of the films were made African women filmmakers, the majority of whom are self-taught. Therefore, there is a serious problem of training. This is the only explanation that I can give at the moment. And as I already stated, there were very serious technical problems, especially with the audio. As well as the superficial treatment of the subject matter.

I know that there are many great female documentarists on the continent but those who sent their films, need a bit more work in terms of training.

Perhaps a workshop devoted to technical aspects of documentary filmmaking and scriptwriting in order to master the craft! Does this kind of initiative exist within the Mis Me Binga infrastructure?

Yes we have had two workshops in 2010 and 2011 and the films that were made from the workshop will be released for the 2013 or 2014 Festival.

FRANÇAIS

Entretien avec Narcisse Wandji, le délégué général du Mis Me Binga, par Beti Ellerson le 25 mars 2012. La 3ème édition du festival international de films de femmes a eu lieu du 8 au 11 mars 2012 à Yaoundé Cameroun.

Bonjour Narcisse, quelles sont tes impressions sur la 3ème Edition du Mis Me Binga 2012 ?

Et bien le Festival a été une réussite. Cette 3è édition a connu la participation de 250 films venus de tous les coins du globe. Nous avons compté la participation d'environ 5.000 personnes. Le festival a vu naître cette année un réseau d'organisateur de festival de films au Cameroun. Et ce réseau travaille à présent sur son statut. Donc les détails te seront donnés plus tard.

Il faut dire aussi que nous avons eu l'honneur d'accueillir la Professeure Ute Fendler, professeure des études africaines et du cinéma à l'Université de Bayreuth en Allemagne. Elle nous a entretenu sur la thématique de l'industrie cinématographique et l'enjeu économique en Afrique. C'était génial !

Et les palmarès et ses lauréates pour cette édition…

Pour ce qui concerne les palmarès, il faut dire que la tâche du jury n'a pas été facile. 30 films ont été retenus sur les 250 films. Le Festival décerne 3 prix chaque année: Le Minga d'or du meilleur film fiction, le Minga d'or du meilleur documentaire et le Prix spécial du jury.

Le Minga d'or du Meilleur film fiction a été attribué à El Padre (Le père) de l'Espagnole Patricia Venti. Le Prix Spécial du Jury a été décerné au film Zebu and the Photofish [Zebu et le photopoisson] de la Kenyane Zippy Nyaruri.

Le Jury n'a pas décerné le Minga d'or du meilleur documentaire cette année. Le Jury a estimé qu'il n'y avait pas de documentaire à la hauteur du prix. Les sujets traités par ces documentaires étaient certes très pertinents, seulement la légèreté dans leur traitement et les problèmes techniques n'ont pas permis de trouver un documentaire pouvant mériter ce prix.

Toutefois deux mentions spéciales ont été décernées à deux films, Computer de la Kenyane Peggy Mbiyu et Nebuleuse de la Camerounaise Sandrine Batsotsa.

À ton avis, comment assurer que la qualité des films sélectionnés soit à la hauteur pour ne pas se trouver sans remise de prix pour la catégorie du meilleur documentaire ?

Bonne question ! Déjà nous n'avons pas reçu beaucoup de films documentaires. Il faut préciser que ce sont des films court-métrage documentaires. Et tous ces films court-métrage documentaires sont faits par des réalisatrices africaines et la plupart sont autodidactes. Donc il y a un sérieux problème de formation. C'est la seule explication que je peux donner à présent. Il y a vraiment de sérieux problème technique, notamment au niveau du son. Et le traitement de leur sujet qui se caractérise par une légèreté.

Je sais qu'il y a de très grandes documentaristes sur le continent mais celles qui nous ont fait parvenir leurs films ont encore besoin de travailler, je veux dire de formation.

Peut-être un atelier de travail sur la technique et le scénario pour perfectionner la réalisation du documentaire ! Existe-t-il ce genre d'initiative au sein du Mis Me Binga ?

Oui, nous en avons fait deux ateliers, en 2010 et en 2011 et les films issus de ces ateliers sont attendus pour 2013 ou 2014 au Festival Mis Me Binga.

Mis Me Binga 2012: The International Women’s Film Festival

The Third International Women’s Film Festival Mis Me Binga will be held from 7 to 11 March 2012.

Created in 2010 at the initiative of the GIC Video Star, the International Women’s Film Festival Mis Me Binga aims to bring together films made by women, both intellectual and popular themes. The first two editions were held at the Goethe-Institut Kamerun and the French Cultural Center of Yaounde (now the French Institute).

Traditionally held in March during the week of International Women's Day, the Festival is broadly based on the theme "From Women’s Perspectives", drawing from diverse genres. Far from outdated romantic and overused clichés, the selection of films provides an open window on the world and the filmmakers whose works are too often absent from commercial channels, or in the case of Thérèse Sita Bella, who made the film TAM TAM à Paris in 1963, has been completely erased from the cinematic landscape.

Each year, Mis Me Binga offers the viewer a discovery of politically committed and challenging films. With a panorama of over 250 films, this third edition is no exception. Cameroon, South Africa, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Ghana, France, Japan, Germany, Quebec, the selection of films introduces one to far-away places, different cultures, and life stories that, despite the distance, deal with various themes from a universal perspective.

This year the festival is held under the theme: "WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS AND CULTURAL INDUSTRIES: Traditionally, women have been at the center of everything. She has been called variously: the mother of mankind, the engine of the family, the interior minister, etc. But paradoxically, she continues to be the victim of violence, discrimination, and marginalisation.

At a time when the world is facing a dramatic economic crisis, the woman, which some describe as the weaker sex, is acknowledged as being the driving force of the economy of most of our African countries, and of Cameroon in particular. She is the strength and the backbone of our economy, as well as the guardian of our future. Thus the theme of this third edition of the International Women’s Film Festival, called Mis Me Binga, again is fully part of current events.

Meetings, debates, events, exhibitions are the ingredients that will drive this 3rd edition of Mis Me Binga. During the four-day festival, thirty feature and short films will be screened at the French Institute of Yaounde and the Goethe-Institut Kamerun, and possibly, with the support of Cinéma Numérique Ambulant (traveling cinema) in outdoor locations in diverse and populous neighborhoods of Yaounde. The events will be attended by several directors, many women’s associations, and film enthusiasts from within the country and also from abroad.

Alongside institutional audiovisual stakeholders, anonymous or known, Mis Me Binga adds its modest contribution, offering for the third consecutive year, a film festival dedicated to women, and working for gender equality and the advancement of women.

EN FRANÇAIS