Thursday, July 07, 2005
TRIBAL CINEMA WORKSHOP
TRIBAL CINEMA WORKSHOP AT THE AMAKULA KAMPALA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
How to identify and write great film idea for a global audience?
by
Jean-Pierre Bekolo
http://www.amakula.com/
As I was teaching a film course program in Zimbabwé, I asked my students what their favored film was, and the answers were Four Weddings and a Funeral, Pretty Woman etc... Then I asked them what film they would make if they had the ressources they need, they all had ideas about social issues such as child abuse, education etc... Finally I asked them if they would go out and pay to watch their own film? The answer was obviously No.
This is the reason why I thought about a workshop that would help young African identify what a good film idea could be. And I found this idea of Tribal Cinema, as you can imagine the name is not a coincidence even if Tribal Cinema is not a specific African thing.
What is a tribe?
A tribe is a community of people who live together with a shared way of life. There are all kinds of communities with a shared way of life out there.
But what makes tribes so interesting?
Because film is about behavior, cinema is behaviorist. A group of people who behave strangely are always a curiosity, interesting to watch. We learn something about them for sure but also about ourselves. We might like it or not agree with them or not. A tribe is always compelling to any other human being.
Who are the tribes in films?
Gangsters, cowboys, italian maffia, American cops, soldiers, lawyers, french lovers, homlesses, dancers, sportsmen, bikers, families, students, animals...
...
What caracterises those tribes?
They have their own language, dress code, behavior etc...
Making a Tribal Cinema Workshop in Africa doesn't mean that we are going to find African « traditional » tribes to work from. What we will do will be to identify contemporary type of tribes and why not make some tribes.
But here is the key, as Africans with our better understanding of tribal culture, how do we bring that African tribal perspective into a contemporary tribal idea?
Putting into practice this idea of Tribal Cinema could help develop interesting African film ideas for a global audience.
How to identify and write great film idea for a global audience?
by
Jean-Pierre Bekolo
http://www.amakula.com/
As I was teaching a film course program in Zimbabwé, I asked my students what their favored film was, and the answers were Four Weddings and a Funeral, Pretty Woman etc... Then I asked them what film they would make if they had the ressources they need, they all had ideas about social issues such as child abuse, education etc... Finally I asked them if they would go out and pay to watch their own film? The answer was obviously No.
This is the reason why I thought about a workshop that would help young African identify what a good film idea could be. And I found this idea of Tribal Cinema, as you can imagine the name is not a coincidence even if Tribal Cinema is not a specific African thing.
What is a tribe?
A tribe is a community of people who live together with a shared way of life. There are all kinds of communities with a shared way of life out there.
But what makes tribes so interesting?
Because film is about behavior, cinema is behaviorist. A group of people who behave strangely are always a curiosity, interesting to watch. We learn something about them for sure but also about ourselves. We might like it or not agree with them or not. A tribe is always compelling to any other human being.
Who are the tribes in films?
Gangsters, cowboys, italian maffia, American cops, soldiers, lawyers, french lovers, homlesses, dancers, sportsmen, bikers, families, students, animals...
...
What caracterises those tribes?
They have their own language, dress code, behavior etc...
Making a Tribal Cinema Workshop in Africa doesn't mean that we are going to find African « traditional » tribes to work from. What we will do will be to identify contemporary type of tribes and why not make some tribes.
But here is the key, as Africans with our better understanding of tribal culture, how do we bring that African tribal perspective into a contemporary tribal idea?
Putting into practice this idea of Tribal Cinema could help develop interesting African film ideas for a global audience.
