The purpose of the African Women in Cinema Blog is to provide a space to discuss diverse topics relating to African women in cinema--filmmakers, actors, producers, and all film professionals. The blog is a public forum of the Centre for the Study and Research of African Women in Cinema.
Le Blog sur les femmes africaines dans le cinéma est un espace pour l'échange d'informations concernant les réalisatrices, comédiennes, productrices, critiques et toutes professionnelles dans ce domaine. Ceci sert de forum public du Centre pour l'étude et la recherche des femmes africaines dans le cinémas.
Director/Directrice, Centre for the Study and Research of African Women in Cinema | Centre pour l'étude et la recherche des femmes africaines dans le cinéma
Zipporah Nyaruri, an upcoming film talent from Kenya, is making ripples in regional film festivals with her latest short, Zebu and the Photo Fish.
Working variously as director, writer and editor, Nyaruri, who holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Studies from Uganda Islamic University and a diploma from the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication believes that she has learnt more about her craft from being on a real set than she could ever learn from attending formal film school. Though largely based in Uganda, the diminutive filmmaker refers to herself as "a citizen of the world", a clue perhaps to the size of her ambitions. She describes herself as having gone to Uganda looking for adventure, and ended up discovering both work and her passion for film there. After starting her career with NGO funded documentaries, she describes Zebu and the Photo Fish as her virgin foray into fiction film and says she does not intend to turn back. Her reason; "the lack of creative liberty that donor agenda impose upon you". If she makes another documentary (one of which she has already begun), she insists it will be on her terms.
Synopsis of film:
Zebu, the young son of a fisherman, gets tired of following his father in his fruitless efforts to pay an old debt at the expense of the life of his sick mother. To the disbelief of his father, Zebu embarks on an adventure to rid his dad of the debt, have the mother treated, and stabilize his family.
FESPACO 2011 WATCH: Official Competition - Documentary
Second Prize for Best Documentary
Yaba Badoe is a Ghanaian-British documentary filmmaker and journalist. A graduate of King’s College Cambridge, she worked as a civil servant in Ghana before becoming a General Trainee with the BBC. She has taught in Spain and Jamaica. (Facebook Fan Profile)
Synopsis of Film:
The Witches of Gambaga (2010) is a haunting 55 minute documentary film about a community of women condemned to live as witches in Northern Ghana. Made over the course of 5 years, this disturbing expose is the product of a collaboration between members of the 100 strong community of ‘witches’, local women’s movement activists and feminist researchers, united by their interest in ending abusive practices and improving women’s lives in Africa. Painful experience and insight combine to generate a uniquely intimate record of the lives of women ostracized from their communities. Told largely by the women themselves, their incredible stories and struggles are rendered comprehensible to a wide range of audiences by the director’s narration. Completed in July 2010, Fadoa Films Ghana and UK, Directed by Yaba Badoe, Co-produced by Yaba Badoe and Amina Mama.
Women are represented in all categories at the 22nd Edition of the pan-African film festival FESPACO. The emblematic festival of African cinema will open its doors from 28 February to 5 March 2011 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. During the next month, the Blog's FESPACO WATCH will feature the women whose films are included in the official selection. Below is a listing by category of the filmmakers and their films.
Mariama Sylla Faye | Senegal | Tirailleur Marc Gueye, ma plume, mon combat Iman Kamel | Egypt | Beit Sha'ar (Nomad Home)
Eléonore Yameogo | Burkina Faso | Paris mon paradis
Diaspora film competition section:
Barbara Allen | USA | Dusable to Obama : Chicago's black metropolis Laura A. Guzman and Israèl Cardenas | Dominican Republic | Jean gentil Tetchena Bellange | Canada | Les mains noires, procès de l'esclave incendiaire
Video competition section:
Tsitsi Dangarembga | Zimbabwe | I Want a Wedding Dress Hawa Essuman | Kenya | Soul Boy Zipporah Nyaruri | Kenya | Zebu and the Photo Fish
Serials competition section:
Aida Mady Diallo | Mali | Karim et Doussou
Apolline Traoré | Burkina Faso | Le Testament
Panorama TV/Video:
Marie Louise Asseu | Cote d'Ivoire | Les infidèles
Translation from French to English by Beti Ellerson
Born in France in 1976 to parents of Comorian origin, Hachimiya Ahamada is nonetheless a filmmaker of the land. Her camera pointed towards her homeland, the Comoros Archipelago, her favorite themes are identity and memory. In 2008, she directed the drama short, The Ylang Ylang Residence, co-produced by Aurora Films in Paris and Washko Ink in Moroni. The film was screened in some sixty international film festivals, from Cannes to the International Black Film Festival of Montreal, passing through the Women's Film Festival in Chennai, India. In 2009 alone The Ylang Ylang Residence won numerous awards such as the Grand Prize for the Short Film at the Quintessence Festival of Ouidah, the Best Screenplay at the Francophone Festival of Vaulx in Velin, the Jury’s Special Mention at the Cinema of Africa, Asia and Latin America Festival in Milan. During this interview [with Regarder l’archipel des Comores autrement – No Man’s Land Blog] Hachimiya reveals a chapter of her professional and intimate life.
No Man's Land: Hachimiya, how did you come to cinema?
As a teenager, I spent my Saturday afternoons in the video studio in Dunkerque on the Ecole de la Rue Street. With a group of friends, also passionate about cinema, I took my first steps while making small documentary portraits. So cohesive was the group, with such a passion for films, that today some of us have turned that passion into a profession. Among us there are directors, a producer, a projectionist (who is also from the Comoros) and a film events organizer. Moreover, the video studio was in the same building as the art film movie house. Hence, the film events organizer at the time planned an annual festival of international films during which we had the chance to interact with filmmakers from different countries. They helped us to sharpen our vision of the world and develop a cinematic discourse by the means of image and sound. Unfortunately, the festival no longer exists. This period of my youth provided the persistence of vision that continues to drive me to go further in this direction.
Subsequently, I enrolled at INSAS, a film school in Brussels where I trained in film directing and completed my studies in 2004.
No Man's Land: You are a young woman, and also Muslim, born into a family of Comorian origin. How has your family reacted to your decision to make a career as a filmmaker?
Since my adolescence, my parents have always seen me with a camera in hand. They knew that I spent all my Saturdays at the video studio. Apart from that, I filmed some traditional marriages that took place in the Comorian community of Dunkerque. I also took pictures of my own family; it was obvious that I wanted to pursue this passion as a profession. However, not fully grasping the word “cineaste” my family is trying to discover it through my journey. I try to make them understand that I'm not a “journalist”! A term that is easier to conceptualize.
Whether men or women filmmakers from the Muslim community (and Comorian on top of it), we're all in this together. It's not being a woman that will be the obstacle, or religion that would thwart efforts to embrace this career. It is the lack of knowledge in general about any profession in the arts. Our parents have been lulled by the cinema of Hollywood, Bollywood and Asian films, and as we have not yet conquered this technology, it is normal for parents to be apprehensive about their child going into this unknown world. The women and men of our generation must move forward and not raise false problems and questions about religion or traditions. We strongly need artists, and in my area, filmmakers and actors who by stepping into the shoes of the super heroes will represent us as producers, technicians... To date, we are in a phase where we are laying the groundwork for the future generation.
No Man's Land: What is your view on Comorian women, whether in the diaspora in France or in the Comoros in general?
I confess that I find these very feminist types of questions difficult to answer. Comorian women are inwardly very strong. No matter in what situation she finds herself, and even though she is closely tied to tradition (since the Comorian woman is the guardian from generation to generation), she manages to assert herself with men. She makes the major family or collective decisions. Contrary to what one might think, women have authority! Although, we continue to be a society where women live within a world of women, this strengthens women, and they really support each other. The upside of this is that it provides the cohesiveness to better address their individual difficulties, oh so many! I admire the younger generation of women, who are very dynamic, very ambitious, very competitive and who know how to combine modernity and tradition. They give great hope for our future ideal Comoros. So be it!
No Man's Land: You've spent your whole life in Europe. Why did you decide to shoot your film The Ylang Ylang Residence in the Comoros? The language of this film is Comorian, is it a coincidence?
After my training at INSAS, I wanted to get into fiction. The Ylang Ylang Residence is my first short film. I've always done documentary films, which is a very good school to pass through to get into fiction or reality fiction. I began with a subject that was dear to my heart: home. This short film was very important to me because there are autobiographical influences and it was also necessary that I return to my roots through the film. I was born in Dunkerque, therefore, I belong to the Comorian diaspora and my gaze is necessarily one of "I’m coming..." With The Ylang Ylang Residence, I wanted to break through that gaze. Having completed the film, I still do not know if I managed to do it.
On the other hand, it was my greatest insight into the Comoros. During the research phase in preparation for the film, I met people who gave me the opportunity to understand the everyday life of the Comoros, through all levels of the social strata. The experience of this short film is also proof that we can make plans of any kind in the country and that the people long for this type of initiative. There is potential and so much energy that you cannot pass up this opportunity. The major problem that remains is by what means do we get there?
To the question of language, a film reflecting a country should be in the language of the country where it is made. Comorians were born and bred in the Comorian language: it would have been meaningless if the actors had played in French. And, Comorian viewers must forge a vision that is based on their own point of reference. For that reason, I shot the film in Comorian even though I myself am not fluent in the language. I must make a lot of progress to move my work further.
No Man's Land: You have presented your film around the world, at festivals, and internationally renown ones at that. What memories do you have of these events of the 7th art?
The tour of the film went very well. A short film normally has a two-year lifespan. In two and a half years, The Ylang Ylang Residence was screened at over 35 international festivals. That is great and unexpected because I do not think my future films will have this kind of trajectory. The memory that I keep is the immense curiosity of the spectators about a country that they do not really know. They have heard the name but do not really know where it is located in the World: Comoros, in the minds of others is a world in a very remote location. What struck me was also their surprise to see the omnipresence of green (lush vegetation) or to hear a language that is unknown to them. These kinds of encounters at festivals encourage me to continue working in this direction. Unwittingly, I was a bit of a flag bearer or a spokesperson for the Comoros at each encounter with a different audience. There is a real thirst to see pictures from the Indian Ocean in cinema—not on television, but in Cinema. For this reason, there is much work to be done to quench the thirst of the outside world (and at home for that matter).
No Man's Land: The next Hachimiya film will talk about what, and in what country will it be shot?
I am currently working on a feature documentary project entitled “The Drunkenness of an Oasis” produced by Shõnagon Film and the CBA in Brussels. Five years of work that is about to be completed; a real uphill battle in terms of production. The production time was very long because I focused on a topic that apparently did not interest producers. This was not so bad, in fact, because I still have the freedom of content and form. I always shoot around the same theme: the unfinished house awaiting the return of its owner somewhere in exile. For an “I’m coming” what makes us go “back to the village” is the pride of the father: the family home he built in his native village.
No Man's Land: But as a child of the diaspora, what does one do with this house, which remains unoccupied for many years?
And more broadly, what happens to our Comorian cultural heritage when we're from France, or when we leave the Comoro Archipelago Islands, when we’re from the Grande Comore, Anjouan, Moheli and Mayotte?
In 2006 I went alone to look for filming locations on the four islands of the archipelago and came back with a small crew this year to film again on these islands. It's a film of self-examination about the Comorian identity of my family that leaves to go to elsewhere. Again, the wanderings through the islands were real revelations about my quest for identity, my encounters with, respectfully speaking, the common people. However, they made me understand each in their own way, what could be an ideal Comorian. I am currently in the editing stage in Brussels. In this long road movie, the editor and I try to bring the four islands together. I hope in the end to have a film in the “Cinema” that truly reflects the actual feeling of the whole archipelago.
No Man's Land: What positive affect can cinema bring to Comorian society in particular and societies in the world in general?
Whatever the genre of film (fiction, documentary, docu-fiction, experimental film), to make a film is to give a unique vision to the world around us. We share our stories with the Other in image and sound. In countries where there is a shortage of films, even if there is escapist types of films, this medium has a political role. It gives the contemporary feeling of the countries in crisis and expansion. The bigger the crisis, the more there is material to tell a story. The larger the crisis, the more there is censorship and this constraint requires the author to find a particular identity to her work (I have in mind Chinese and Iranian cinema whose authors manage to present interesting stylistic work despite severe censorship and they pay the price for just having the desire to film their country). This is the same for countries with no film industry.
With regard to our islands, there are so many stories to tell in the Comorian culture. It is a society rich in contradictions and there is enough for us to draw from so that we can make many, many films with strong subject matter. By portraying our society through film, without making any concessions would have an immeasurable impact on our self-representation. At present, in the North (we also see this in our own islands), what images are presented about us? Do we recognize ourselves in these pictures?
There is a tremendous need to put up a mirror in order to correct our own problems, to reflect, to entertain or take a break with a hero who resembles our island. With the massive onslaught of American, Asian and Bollywood films on DVD, there is a lack of identification with Comorian characters. Except in Mayotte (but we must also ask who is the audience that goes to see movies), there is a lack of cinema houses on the other islands. To have at least one in each capital would be already quite a bit.
No Man's Land: When it comes to movies, we always talk about investment, cinema houses, viewers who go out and purchase tickets, distribution, in a word, an actual film industry. Do you think that the development of a film culture in Comoros involves creating a film industry like Nollywood in Nigeria, Bollywood in India and Hollywood in the USA?
But with what means, this creation of a Comorian cinema and the distribution of its films?
This is a crucial question that also affects all Francophone African cinema to date. In the North, there is concern about the lack of African representation on screen to show in their movie houses (outside of festivals for Africa), while in the South, films continue to be produced each year (though with financial difficulty) on a variety of media and with varying quality. Nevertheless, there is a real absence of structures that could focus specifically on the distribution of these films between African countries and outside of the film festival circuit.
For the moment I'm a bit pessimistic about the existence of a film industry in the Comoros. I have a rather different dream of a creative system that would be a mixture between a Nollywood, Bollywood and a director’s cinema that sets high standards. Everyone will find her or his place.
But by what method? So the Comorian State would create a film commission under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture as is done in a few African countries? If this kind of structure does not already exist in the country for other art forms such as literature or the performing arts, I will still be dreaming for a long time.
Then there is the other alternative, which is funding for cultural projects coming from the North or the Middle East, but should this be the sole means to produce our work?
It’s something to think about...
Image and text from Regarder l’archipel des Comores autrement – No Man’s Land Blog
Senegalese filmmaker Marie Ka studied film criticism at the Sorbonne before passing to the other side of the camera. After saving money for a year, she left for the United States in the direction of Hollywood, California and worked as an unpaid intern for two and a half years. Returning to Dakar, Marie freelanced for a year making several commissioned films and then headed back to the United States, this time to Atlanta, Georgia where she lived and worked for three years. Settled back in Dakar, she created her own production company, Picture Box. Based on the text in French by Laure Constantinesco, tvmonde.com
Invited by the Cinémas du Monde Pavillon/Pavilion of World Cinemas, Marie Ka is showcased by TV5 on the Croisette at the 2009 Cannes Festival. In five short episodes, she talks about her film, which is being screened at the Film Market, and her hopes of finding a producer.
The Cinémas du Monde Pavillon, a unique forum for discovery and dialogue, plays host to an artistic delegation of young directors and producers from twelve different countries. The Cinémas du Monde Pavillon, in the heart of the Cannes Film Festival's international village, has a triple aim: to raise the profile of film-making in Africa, the Caribbean, the Pacific, Asia, Latin America, the Near and Middle East, and Central and Eastern Europe; to provide an opportunity for cinema professionals to meet up and network; to support the development and distribution of films promoted by the artistic delegation.
The five TV5 episodes with French dialogue, are featured here with a transcription of the French to English translation by Beti Ellerson. The short vignettes offer a glimpse of the events in their context at the Cannes Festival.
Episode 1 Le Feuilleton Marie Ka Cannes 2009
Episode 1 - Marie Ka arrives at Cannes. She is looking for a generous producer to finance her first film. Traveling from the airport in Nice to her hotel room in Cannes, she talks about her expectations and her first impressions:
”Picture Box has three pilots for a children’s series that I would like to produce, the short film that I am trying to sell in the Short Film Corner, and a project for a feature film for which I would like to find a co-producer.”
Question: What do you hope to achieve here at Cannes?
”The first thing is to meet as many people as possible, to network, network, network. I noticed while on the plane that there are people from everywhere and that I find very exciting. Second, if I can get a deal, that would be great. Yes I am looking for funding for a feature film, that is my first objective. I am open for whatever comes my way. I am optimistic and hope for the best.”
Question: What does it feel like to come to Cannes?
”I see behind the scenes that there are a lot of people like myself. What I like about cinema is there are all sorts of people, not just the stars and superstars, but those who dream like me to make films.”
Question: Is coming to Cannes part of that dream?
”Yes, something that seemed so inaccessible, and then things fall into place and here I am at Cannes.”
Episode 2 Le Feuilleton Marie Ka Cannes 2009
Episode 2 – Marie Ka participates in a workshop on project financing: a good way to make contacts, and to better understand how to acquire funding for her next film.
“I am going to attend the Producer’s Network Breakfast. I see there are quite a few people in line, so it would be wise for me to also go there quickly to get my badge."
"It is structured around a table of participants and a moderator and different themes. I would like to attend Theme 14 regarding funding for the South.”
Question: Is this the right way to the Producer’s Network?
“Yes, I found the right place.”
Serge Hayat: Here we will talk about funding for projects from the Southern hemisphere.
“So we will be able to decide during a roundtable breakfast about funding?”
Serge Hayat: No, decisions will not be made, but rather, networking and making contacts.
“In fact it was much clearer than I had thought from reading the website, and it has been very useful information. To be able to speak directly to the representative has clarified many things, and to have had the opportunity to ask questions. It was a very good working session. I was able to meet many people from different countries.”
Question: Have you chosen other themes that interest you?
“No not yet, I must look at the program again.”
Question: Did you get many business cards?
“I have business cards from everyone, except those who did not have one, I have probably around eight.”
Question: A good collection of information?
“Yes, very productive.”
Episode 3 Le Feuilleton Marie Ka Cannes 2009
Episode 3 – Marie Ka sees the glamorous side of Cannes: it is the inauguration of the Pavillon Les cinémas du monde and she goes up the stairs in an evening gown!
“Here we are at the inauguration of the Pavillon Les cinémas du monde. We will spend the day with Abderrahmane Sissako, Juliette Binoche, and meet Gilles Jacob, this is the grand day.”
Juliette Binoche: Welcome, I am happy to have you here. That you make films that awaken, transform, touch…Salif Traoré from Mali…
Abderrahmane Sissako: Marie Ka from Senegal…
Juliette Binoche: Marat Sarulu from Kyrgyzstan
Marie-Christine Saragosse: There are a lot of people who are interested in your series, so let them know because they will be able to follow it on the website…
Marie Ka introduces herself to Gilles Jacob, President of the Cannes Festival.
“I will get dressed first, and put on make-up afterwards."
"This is a robe by Senegalese designer Ndiaga Diaw, the brand name is called Fitt, which in Wolof means courage, and also arrow, direction. I hope it will give me a boost later.”
Question: Is this “the” moment for you?
“I would not say that this is “the” moment, that would be when I will ascend the stairs for my film. This is nice to have the glamorous side, since it does not happen very often.”
The names of the filmmakers of the Pavillon Les cinémas du monde are announced as they advance to ascend the stairs.
Episode 4 Le Feuilleton Marie Ka Cannes 2009
Episode 4 – Marie Ka attends a workshop on how to pitch one's product. One must know how to summarize the script in a few catchy phrases to successfully sell a film project to a potential producer.
“Today I will attend a workshop on how to pitch your product, working individually with a coach. I will learn how to pitch my script in a short period of time."
"What I got from this was how to connect with the person quickly in order to tell my story, and to do it in a sincere way. There are different approaches, but what is important is to be yourself and to present your product using this attribute. More than anything else, it is a one-on-one conversation.”
Question: Are there any magic words?
“No, unfortunately!”
Question: Do you now feel more self-assured to sell your film?
“The short film, yes, because I had a real problem with explaining it. The feature film, well, I would say that now, I would use fewer words.”
Coach: She convinced me from the moment she talked about what touched her, with a genuine energy.
Question: So if I asked you to “pitch” your feature film?
“It depends on whether you will actually produce it?”
Episode 5 Le Feuilleton Marie Ka Cannes 2009
Episode 5 – Marie Ka discovers the Film Market, or the "business" side of Cannes. This is where cinema professionals—directors, producers, distributors—from around the world meet. Marie has two objectives: to sell her short film which is being screened at the Short Film Corner, the short film section of the Film Market, and to find a co-producer to finance her feature film project.
“The Short Film Corner is in the Film Market section.”
Question: Did you find where the Film Market is?
“Yes it is here in the catalog.”
Dialogue in the film Didi and Gigi: Gigi, what happened?
“We are on our way to the Film Market, I would like to meet representatives from Belgium and Canada.”
“I would like to get information about co-productions between Canada and Africa, please”
Representative: Of course, here you have access to all information about the co-productions that exist in Canada.
“I am a filmmaker from Senegal and I am interested in information about co-productions between Quebec and Senegal.”
“It is a feature film about a little girl who wants to go to school in an environment where it is not viewed as important for a girl to go to school.”
“It may not seem like a big thing, to talk with someone and explain what you are looking for, to receive the catalogues, and sometimes the person may highlight certain things, that’s very good to have. There are so many people, so much information, that sometimes you may not be able to have the direct contact with a person right away or to be able to go into detail. There are so many possibilities as well."
"Compared to Senegal it is so much better, because there, it is very little or nothing at all. But things have advanced, after a long period of stagnation. You have to hang in there.”
Question: We’ll see you next year at Cannes?
“Next year? I am not sure, but in two years, yes, with a feature film!”
