Movies go indie for Africa Day

We had total creative freedom and a very strong vision,” says filmmaker Jyoti Mistry about her recent experimental film of spoken word poetry.

Called I Mike What I Like, it draws on the work of poet Kgafela oa Magogodi. The film is one of six to be screened at the first African Film Festival, launched by SABC Africa in conjunction with Nu Metro cinemas from May 25 to June 1.

In a small way the festival reflects a filmmaking backlash to the recent slew of mainstream local offerings, such as Tsotsi and Number 10. This could see the development of vibrant new aesthetics and narratives in the South African industry. That is the belief of Mistry, who says: “There was complete autonomy in terms of treating [the film] as an artistic vision.” The project was completed on a R50 000 budget using just three crew members.

Mistry, who is also associate professor at the University of Witwatersrand’s film and television department, believes that lack of interference, which usually occurs with low-budget and independent films, is vital for young, new voices in South African cinema — especially black and female voices — to establish themselves and their visions as they take more risks and are less concerned with commercial interests.

I Mike What I Like uses 15 poems from Magogodi’s theatre piece of the same name, but Mistry is quick to emphasise that she didn’t want to make a “51-minute music video”.

“The idea was not to make a film version of the stage piece; we really wanted to reinterpret the piece and create a visual language for the spoken word. Our challenge was to take the viewer on a visual journey which can be comprehended, but is also challenging. It’s a non–conventional narrative but we found a way to keep the audience with us for 50 minutes,” said Mistry. “We didn’t shoot high depth, we took our time in terms of lighting and designing the film — every cent was put in front of the camera,” she added.

This adherence to artistic integrity seems to have paid off: “It is a beautifully shot film, with a lovely visual aesthetic centred around the strident poetry of this word warrior, Kgafela oa Magogodi,” said Peter Rorvik, director of the Durban International Film Festival, which starts in June and where the film has also been included.

For Mistry, artistic expression and integrity are not the only positives to be gained from technological advances and an “indie” mentality in filmmaking. She believes historically marginalised filmmakers, like women, can also benefit. It’s a view shared by Maganthrie Pillay, whose well-intentioned, if slightly flawed debut, 34 South, also screens at the festival.

“I don’t think we are hearing or seeing women’s voices across the arts spectrum, whether it is choreography, theatre or film. There must be a plurality of voices because if you just have a male perspective then you have half the picture,” said Pillay, whose film is a coming-of-age road-trip film which, among others, addresses issues of coloured identity in South Africa.

Lara Preston, from Johnnic Communications Africa Division, owners of Nu Metro, said the film festival was initiated to coincide with the continental premiere of Nigerian director Jeta Amata’s film, The Amazing Grace, and Africa Day on May 27. The vision was to create a festival “which brought forth the younger perspective from African film-makers who are sometimes not burdened with the serious issues”.

Logistical problems, like some films not being on 35mm format, stopped the festival from travelling around South Africa this year, but Preston hopes it will develop into a continental affair in 2007.

The line-up

The African Film Festival runs from May 25 to June 1 at Balfour Park Nu Metro Cinema and Nu Metro Monte-casino. The six films to be screened are: