Image by Filipa Domingues from The African Cypher (Dir. Bryan Little: 2013)
PIDGIN PERFECT | NATALIA PALOMBO | CONNECT Z A WORLD DESIGN CAPITAL CAPE TOWN 2014
THE POWER OF FILM TO TRANSFORM LIVES & COMMUNITIES: FESTIVAL OF AFRICAN STORYTELLING, FILM & DESIGN
Bringing together African Innovation in Film Production, Exhibition, Distribution WDC Themes: African Innovation. Global Conversation Bridging the Divide
PROJECT PARTNERS
PROJECT COLLABORATORS
Cape Town:
World Design Capital Cape Town
Johannesburg:
Creative Scotland British Council Scotland British Council South Africa British Council Connect ZA
Ingrid Martens Director Africa Shafted Gavin Mageni SABS (TBC) Kelo Kubu TEDx Soweto | TEDxJohannesburg Ithateng Mokgoro TEDxJohannesburg | Gamatong Enterprise Solam Mkhabela (TBC) School of Architecture University Witwatersrand Mbuso Kgarebe Dancer, Afro Tribal Crew The Bioscope Independent Cinema Future Johannesburg IThuba Arts Fund
SAE Institute Cape Town Fly on the Wall Productions The Labia Film House Bozza Big Fish School of Digital Filmmaking World Film Collective Jahmil Quebeka Director, Of Good Report Dr. Ian-Malcolm Rijsdijk Senior Lecturer, Centre for Film and Media Studies, University of Cape Town Duane Laurence Dancer, Ubuntu Khulekani Zondi Cinematographer, Uhlanga Writer’s Guild South Africa
Future Cape Town Africa in Motion Film Festival Saki Mafundikwa (TBC) Author of Afrikan Alphabets
PIDGIN PERFECT | NATALIA PALOMBO | CONNECT Z A WORLD DESIGN CAPITAL CAPE TOWN 2014 2
#WDC557 HOW COULD DESIGN THINKING HELP HARNESS THE POWER OF EMERGENT INNOVATION ACROSS AFRICAN FILM PRODUCTION, EXHIBITION AND DISTRIBUTION TO BRIDGE DIVIDES AND TRANSFORM LIVES AND COMMUNITIES IN AFRICA AND BEYOND? PIDGIN PERFECT | NATALIA PALOMBO | CONNECT Z A WORLD DESIGN CAPITAL CAPE TOWN 2014
PROJECT OUTLINE THE POWER OF FILM TO TRANSFORM LIVES AND COMMUNITIES
Pidgin Perfect have teamed up with African film researcher Natalia Palombo, in an exciting collaboration with the British Council’s Connect ZA project, and Creative Scotland to deliver the project, The Power of Film to Transform Lives and Communities: A Festival of African Storytelling, Film & Design, as part of World Design Capital 2014 in Cape Town this May. From Johannesburg to Cape Town and even further afield the project will engage with some of the most talented Africans in the creative arts and design to celebrate and explore, “How design thinking could help harness emergent innovation across African film Production, Exhibition and Distribution to bridge divides and transform lives and communities in Africa and beyond?” We will tackle this question from different angles in themed workshops titled: The Power of Film: African storytelling by Africans for Africans Transforming Lives and Communities: Film informing Design Thinking in the Urban Realm African Innovation in Film: Design Thinking informing Film to bridge divides and create sustainable futures These explorations and discussions facilitated by Pidgin Perfect Cofounder, Dele Adeyemo and Natalia Palombo, will be opened up to up to greater participation through global twitter conversations run in collaboration with Future Cape Town. The project provides the platform for an intense collective effort that will see the creation of a WIKI African Filmmaking Toolkit, a dynamic document of all the ideas encountered. Following the research phase in South Africa, Pidgin Perfect working with Impact Arts will immediately put the toolkit to the test working with youth groups in Scotland to create a series of films during the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in July and August 2014! Follow #ThePowerofFilm to join the discussion!
PIDGIN PERFECT | NATALIA PALOMBO | CONNECT Z A WORLD DESIGN CAPITAL CAPE TOWN 2014 4
What is Pidgin Perfect?
Who is Natalia Palombo?
Pidgin Perfect is an award winning, multi-disciplinary creative studio based in Glasgow, Scotland. We combine imagination, technology and craft to bring together people, clients & place helping build better communities for everyone.
Natalia Palombo has worked within the field of African cinema for 4 years, most notably with Africa in Motion Film Festival in her role as part of the directorial and managerial team. The main aim of Africa in Motion Film Festival has been to introduce Scottish audiences to the brilliant of African cinema and to overcome the under-representation and marginalisation of African film in British film-going culture.
Pidgin Perfect use a unique multi-skilled approach combining research, participation & design (RPD) around the built environment, placing the community at the heart of our projects. We believe that meaningful participation, strategic research and socially driven design are interrelated. The best results are achieved when these three elements combine and having fun is a serious part of this process. Through collaboration, storytelling and a unique understanding of context Pidgin Perfect deliver socially rich outcomes. Most notably Pidgin Perfect represented Scotland at the world’s most prestigious festival of architecture, the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2012 and are currently managing the design of a series of public art works in Glasgow as part of Velocity a cultural response to the 2014 Commonwealth Games taking place this summer.
PIDGIN PERFECT | NATALIA PALOMBO | CONNECT Z A WORLD DESIGN CAPITAL CAPE TOWN 2014
The festival promotes the idea that the best way to learn about Africa is to listen to African voices and to view representations created by Africans themselves, as these often counter the stereotypical representations we see from Africa in mainstream media in the West. The festival is concentrated into two weeks in October each year and also programmes year-round events both independently and in collaboration with a number of partners. During the festival, AiM hosts a diverse programme of films, events and discussions and invite a number of African filmmakers, academics and creative practitioners to Edinburgh and Glasgow. Natalia endeavours to promote wonderful African films to be seen the world over. Her research has centred predominantly on West and South African cinema but has encompassed the entire continent. Parallel to her work within film, Natalia is one of the directors of MANY Studios and co-founder of The Telfer Gallery.
PIDGIN PERFECT | NATALIA PALOMBO | CONNECT Z A WORLD DESIGN CAPITAL CAPE TOWN 2014 Image from Uhlanga (Dir. Ndaba ka Ngwane: 2012)
6
RESEARCH TRIP MAY 10TH - MAY 24TH
PIDGIN PERFECT | NATALIA PALOMBO | CONNECT Z A WORLD DESIGN CAPITAL CAPE TOWN 2014
Research Trip to South Africa Discussions on the Power of Film to Transform Lives & Communities
Date
Saturday 10th May
Sunday 11th May
Monday 12th May
Tuesday 13th May
Wednesday 14th May
Thursday 15th May
Friday 16th May
City
Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Discussion: Design Thinking in Interdisciplinary Practice, iThuba Arts Gallery, 7pm
Film Screening: Africa Shafted + Shorts + Q&A, Bioscope Independent Cinema, 7.30pm
Afternoon
Evening
Date
Saturday 17th May
Sunday 18th May
Monday 19th May
Tuesday 20th May
Wednesday 21st May
Thursday 22nd May
Friday 23rd May
City
Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town
Workshop ‘Transforming Lives and Communities: Film Informing Design Thinking in the Urban Realm’, SAE Institute, 5pm Film Screening: Africa Shafted + Shorts, SAE Institute, 7.30pm
Workshop ‘Innovation Film Screening: Uhlanga, The German Club, 5pm in Film: Design Thinking informing Film to Bridge Divides and Create Sustainable Futures’, SAE Institute, 5.30pm Film Screening: Of Good Report + Director’s Q&A, The German Club, 8pm
Afternoon
Workshop ‘The Power of Film: African Storytelling by Africans for Africans’, The Gerrman Club, 2pm
Evening
Film Screening: The African Cypher + Discussion, The German Club, 5.30pm
PIDGIN PERFECT | NATALIA PALOMBO | CONNECT Z A WORLD DESIGN CAPITAL CAPE TOWN 2014 8
JOHANNESBURG MAY 10TH - MAY 16TH
PIDGIN PERFECT | NATALIA PALOMBO | CONNECT Z A WORLD DESIGN CAPITAL CAPE TOWN 2014
JOHANNESBURG FRI 9 MAY – FRI 16 MAY FILM & DESIGN THINKING IN THE URBAN REALM THE POWER OF FILM TO BRIDGE DIVIDES
Film is often used as a tool to highlight complexities within our society, making comment on the built and urban environment and how these designs affect the communities within. In Africa Shafted: Under One Roof (Martens, South Africa, 2012), we are provided a comprehensive view of the social tensions of Johannesburg with focus on one building, The Ponty Towers. The film is entirely set in the elevator of the building – the highest residential building in Africa and a social landmark in Johannesburg. In this setting, the ‘characters’ in the film discuss xenophobia, unemployment and migration. Africa Shafted: Under One Roof is striking example of how architecture can create a diverse vertical community existing together under one roof in all its complexity and contradiction. From a design context, we also analyse the importance of the filmmaker’s decisions in the production of Africa Shafted: Under One Roof to understand how the unique setting contributed to the narrative of the documentary. Looking not only at the physical parameters within the city, this strand explores urban landscape on film. Through a selection of video poems from The City Breath Project we enquire how South Africans understand their cities and urban life. In stark contrast to the literal approach of Africa Shafted: Under One Roof, we venture out of the built environment and into the paradoxical confinements of open space – journeying through the landscape within which South Africans narrate how daily movement through exterior city space infiltrates and affects their interior world. How might designers learn from these films being made and how might design thinking make it easier for filmmakers to keep creating films that bridge divides and transform lives and communities? To explore these issues we will present two public events: an informal discussion event in collaboration with iThuba Arts Gallery and a film screening at Bioscope Independent Cinema in the Maboneng district. Through these discussions we will continue to contrast lives and city spaces and explore the idea of freedom through self expression.
PIDGIN PERFECT | NATALIA PALOMBO | CONNECT Z A WORLD DESIGN CAPITAL CAPE TOWN 2014 10
Johannesburg #WDC557 Wednesday 14th May
Theme of the day:
Film & Design Thinking in the Urban Realm The Power of Film to Bridge Divides
WEDNESDAY 14 MAY DISCUSSION 6.30PM | ITHUBA ARTS GALLERY FREE ENTRY Presenting: Pidgin Perfect/Africa in Motion Film Festival, Mbuso Kgarebe (Afro Tribal Crew), Kelo Kubu (Gamatong Design & TEDxJohannesburg, TEDxSoweto). More presenters to be announced. We have invited creative practitioners spanning across the visual arts, design and film sectors to discuss they’re practice. Following on from short individual presentations, Pidgin Perfect’s Co-founder Dele Adeyemo & Natalia Palombo will facilitate a group discussion which will be opened to the audience. The discussion will explore the impact that film could have on designing the city and how design-thinking could have on non-traditional creative practices. Kelo Kubu Kelo graduated from Natal University with a degree in finance and business administration, and then trained as a banker with FNB. She went on to further her studies and career in Germany in 1995. On her return, she focused initially on development work and then co-founded Gamatong Enterprise in 2003. She has been a regular attendee at TED events since 2007 and holds the license for TEDxJohannesburg and TEDxSoweto. Kelo is current TEDxAmbassador for Africa.
PIDGIN PERFECT | NATALIA PALOMBO | CONNECT Z A WORLD DESIGN CAPITAL CAPE TOWN 2014
Mbuso Kgarebe (Afro Tribal Crew) Mbuso Kgarebe is part of Afro Tribal dance crew and featured in Fly on the Wall Productions internationally screened documentary, The African Cypher. The African Cypher followed a number of dance crews harnessing the energy of the unique and diverse performance styles of isiPantsula and sBhujwa to Krump and B|boy. Pidgin Perfect Pidgin Perfect is an award winning, multi-disciplinary creative studio based in Glasgow, Scotland. We combine imagination, technology and craft to bring together people, clients & place helping build better communities for everyone. Pidgin Perfect use a unique multi-skilled approach combining research, participation & design (RPD) around the built environment, placing the community at the heart of our projects. Natalia Palombo Natalia Palombo has worked within the field of African cinema for 4 years, most notably with Africa in Motion Film Festival in her role as part of the directorial and managerial team. Natalia endeavours to promote wonderful African films to be seen the world over. Her research has centered predominantly on West and South African cinema but has encompassed the entire continent. Parallel to her work within film, Natalia is one of the directors of MANY Studios and cofounder of The Telfer Gallery
Johannesburg #WDC557 Thursday 15th May
Theme of the day:
Film & Design Thinking in the Urban Realm The Power of Film to Bridge Divides
THURSDAY 15 MAY FILM SCREENING 7.30PM | BIOSCOPE INDEPENDENT CINEMA ENTRY - R40 Africa Shafted: Under One Roof Ingrid Martens · South Africa 2011 · 50m · Documentary
The City Breath Project Various Directors · South Africa 2010 · 20m · Various languages with English subtitles · Short Experimental
Africa Shafted: Under One Roof captures the views and opinions of people from every corner of the African continent who are now residing in South Africa. These immigrants and refugees, who have been seen as scary, undeserving or criminal by so many others in post-apartheid South Africa, are actually diverse, ordinary people, each with a dream of a better life and wisdom to share. Sadly the film also exposes the very prejudice that led to the violent xenophobic attacks that are still today an ongoing chapter in South Africa’s recent history.
Through their common theme, these short video ‘gasps’ or ‘breaths’ of South African cities give voice to the private dreams and nightmares of local poets, dancers, performance artist and filmmakers. They interrogate, with or against rational logic, the way South Africans understand their cities and urban life. Rebellious in their nature, under four minutes each, the films represent a genre seldom seen in South African film. The City Breath Project is a groundbreaking initiative that has initiated and developed new collaborations in the areas of the video poem, screen dance and experimental film in South Africa. The screening will following by a Q&A session. The panel include: Dele Adeyemo (Pidgin Perfect), Ingrid Martens (Director, Africa Shafted: Under One Roof), Ithati Mokgoro (Gamatong Enterprise/TEDxSoweto/TEDxJohannesburg) and Musa Nxumalo (Photographer).
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AFRICAN FILM EVENTS IN JOHANNESBURG IN MAY 2014
Whitman African Film & Video Exhibition
iThuba Arts Gallery 1 May – 15 May www.thewhitmanindependent.com The Whitman Independent in association with the iThuba Arts Gallery presents the next instalment in a series of independent African cinematic and video art exhibits that aims to explore the ever expansive and rapidly developing African lens. The series of exhibits, consisting of various screenings & discussion panels, provides a voyage into independent/low-budget progressive filmmaking in emerging African states with a core concentration on investigating methods of production, narrative context and the social dynamics that encourage storytelling in fringe African Cinema.
PIDGIN PERFECT | NATALIA PALOMBO | CONNECT Z A WORLD DESIGN CAPITAL CAPE TOWN 2014
Short and Sweet Season 2
Coming up in Johannesburg…. Africa in Motion (AiM) Film Festival
Katy’s Palace Bar, 6 Desmond Street, Kramerville, 2148 Sandton, Gauteng Every Tuesday, 13 May – 10 June www.shortandsweet.tv Short & Sweet is the world’s quintessential short film experience. Every week they showcase a hand-selected bouquet of the finest short films, music videos and short animations worldwide – both fresh and vintage – from the minds of established directors and undiscovered talent alike. Through the use of eclectic urban venues from parks to rooftops, as well as a ground-breaking drive-in concept, Short & Sweet takes film out of the theatre and into your city, thereby creating a unique screening platform to enhance and re-define your experience of cinema. The First Wednesday Film Club Atlas Studios, 33 Frost Avenue Milpark, Johannesburg The First Wednesday of every month Every first Wednesday of the month, alternative cinema enthusiasts in Johannesburg are treated to a host of indie films at Atlas Studios in Milpark, northeast of the city centre. It’s an opportunity to watch films that are not on the main cinema circuit. The event is organised by well-known filmmaker Akin Omotoso (Man on Ground, 2011).
PIDGIN PERFECT | NATALIA PALOMBO | CONNECT Z A WORLD DESIGN CAPITAL CAPE TOWN 2014
Africa in Motion is an annual African film festival taking place in Scotland, United Kingdom, founded in 2006. The main aims are to bring the best of African cinema to Scottish Audiences. Over the years AiM have screened almost 300 African films to audiences of around 20,000 people. They screen contemporary and classic African films, documentaries and short films. The screenings are accompanied by a wide range of complementary events, including directors’ Q&As, youth workshops, masterclasses, discussions, music performances and art exhibition. This year AiM have a focus on South Africa and 20 years of democracy and for the first time will produce an edition of the festival in Johannesburg at Bioscope Cinema which will run parallel to the festival in Scotland in November 2014. For updates, keep an eye on www.africa-in-motion.org.uk.
Is H th D
P Ke H W • th •
Ex • W th W re •
CAPE TOWN MAY 16TH - MAY 24TH
D Te Pu Pa Gu la • di • Co W Lib • fo (Q
so • • • • • • •
PIDGIN PERFECT | NATALIA PALOMBO | CONNECT Z A WORLD DESIGN CAPITAL CAPE TOWN 2014
CAPE TOWN FRI 16 MAY – SAT 24 MAY SUNDAY 18 MAY THE POWER OF FILM: AFRICAN STORYTELLING BY AFRICANS FOR AFRICANS
For long enough, African media has been dominated by western stories and imagery. In line with popular African storytellers we consider how this has impacted on the understanding of authentic African stories both within Africa and throughout the rest of the world. Nigerian writer, Chimimanda Ngozi Adiche, spoke of the danger of the single story, and resonating with her (storytelling) predecessors she began to draw light on the importance and prevalence of African stories told by Africans for an African audience. In an interview with Natalia Palombo in 2011, Seminal Burkinabé filmmaker and storyteller, Gaston Kaboré, said that the youth of Africa “are exposed to images coming from the west, and if we do not fight to keep a significant representation of our own stories and images, they will not be given the opportunity to define who they are, both for themselves and in the eyes of the western world.” In advocacy of the importance of cinema as a storytelling tool, he said that “by creating their own cinematic images, Africans can confront and transform their reality.” Spoken at a time just preceding ‘the digital age’, we will reflect on the views of valuable storytellers within traditional African filmmaking such as Kaboré, Dani Kouyate, Idrissa Ouedraogo and Ramadan Suleman and explore how the emergence of digital technology has liberated storytelling through film. Africans have been telling authentic stories for as long as oral traditions have been in existence, however it’s evident that African art-forms (film, literature, dance, etc) have become more widely referenced internationally as accessibility to African stories increase. The suggestion is that through innovations in digital media the means to promote those stories have grown. Focus is on innovative movements in arts production, exhibition, and distribution which have provided low-cost and easyto-use platforms for arts producers to package and distribute stories.
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We also consider the patterns in which people tell stories as shown on film. In the last five years there have been a great number of films portraying art form on film - from poetry, dance and visual art practice to sport and movement emphasising the effectiveness of creativity on film as a means of storytelling. We look at liberation and escapism through creativity and physical activity through films such as Otelo Burning (Blecher, South Africa, 2011), The African Cypher (Little, South Africa, 2012), Stocktown x South Africa (Goitem, Sweden/South Africa, 2012) and Uhlanga (ka Ngwane, South Africa, 2012). Through a participatory workshop and a screening of The African Cypher (Little, South Africa, 2013), we celebrate the proliferation of African stories on film and explore the importance of oral traditions and how these have impacted specifically on the youth of Africa today in an endeavour to portray contemporary Africa.
PIDGIN PERFECT | NATALIA PALOMBO | CONNECT Z A WORLD DESIGN CAPITAL CAPE TOWN 2014
Cape Town #WDC557 Thursday 15th May
Theme of the day:
The Power of Film African storytelling by Africans for Africans
THURSDAY 15 MAY WORKSHOP
FILM SCREENING
THE GERMAN CLUB | 2PM – 4.30PM FREE ENTRY
THE GERMAN CLUB | 5.30PM R40 – ALL PROCEEDS DONATED TO DANCE FOR PRINCE
Related films: Uhlanga (ka Ngwane, South Africa: 2012), Stocktown x South Africa (Goitem, Sweden/South Africa: 2011), The African Cypher (Little, South Africa: 2012), Otelo Burning (Blecher, South Africa: 2011) Participants: Dr Ian-Malcolm Rijsdijk (Senior Lecturer, Centre for Film and Media Studies, University of Cape Town), Jahmil Qubeka (Filmmaker, Of Good Report), Fly on the Wall Productions, Duane Laurence (Dancer, Ubuntu) The African Cypher, Writer’s Guild South Africa. More participants to be announced.
The African Cypher Bryan Little | South Africa 2012 | 1h28m | English, Zulu, Sotho, Xhosa and Afrikaans with English Subtitles | 15 This is the physicality of the dance; the awe of a body flowing through space, flipping, spinning, and snaking as if giving birth to a new means of self-expression. Across South African cities and townships, dance has long been a mirror of the community, replaying allegorical stories that both educate and entertain. Through stunning visuals director Bryan Little harnesses the energy of the unique and diverse performance styles of isiPantsula and sBhujwa to Krump and B|boy. In an African community overpowered by crime and poverty we see how dance has enriched and even changed the lives of the inhabitants. This screening will be followed by a Q&A session. The panelists are: Natalia Palombo (Africa in Motion Film Festival), Fly on the Wall Productions (The African Cypher), Duane Laurence (Dancer and cast member, Ubuntu) This event will also serve as a fundraising event for Prince Mofokeng, the pantsula/ poet and hero of the South African street dance film, the African Cypher, who is battling cancer. Ticket sales from the screening will be donated to Dancing for Prince – a group set up by his close friends to raise money for Prince’s treatment and comfort during his fight. We will also encourage audience members to join us in making short dance films to send to Prince. Thousands of videos have been sent to him so far and they really do build his morale during this difficult time.
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PIDGIN PERFECT | NATALIA PALOMBO | CONNECT Z A WORLD DESIGN CAPITAL CAPE TOWN 2014 Image by Filipa Domingues from The African Cypher (Dir. Bryan Little: 2013)
CAPE TOWN FRI 16 MAY – SAT 24 MAY WEDNESDAY 21 MAY TRANSFORMING LIVES AND COMMUNITIES: FILM INFORMING DESIGN THINKING IN THE URBAN REALM
Film is often used as a tool to highlight complexities within our society, making comment on the built and urban environment and how these designs affect the communities within. In Africa Shafted: Under One Roof (Martens, South Africa, 2012), we are provided a comprehensive view of the social tensions of Johannesburg with focus on one building, The Ponty Towers. The film is entirely set in the elevator of the building – the highest residential building in Africa and a social landmark in Johannesburg. In this setting, the ‘characters’ in the film discuss xenophobia, unemployment and migration. Africa Shafted: Under One Roof is striking example of how architecture can create a diverse vertical community existing together under one roof in all its complexity and contradiction. From a design context, we also analyse the importance of the filmmaker’s decisions in the production of Africa Shafted: Under One Roof to understand how the unique setting contributed to the narrative of the documentary. Looking not only at the physical parameters within the city, this strand explores urban landscape on film. Through a selection of video poems from The City Breath Project we enquire how South Africans understand their cities and urban life. In stark contrast to the literal approach of Africa Shafted: Under One Roof, we venture out of the built environment and into the paradoxical confinements of open space – journeying through the landscape within which South Africans narrate how daily movement through exterior city space infiltrates and affects their interior world. How might designers learn from these films being made? To explore these issues we will present two public events, a workshop and a film screening at SAE Institute in Woodstock. These events are both free of charge.
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Cape Town #WDC557 Wednesday 21st May
Theme of the day:
Transforming Lives and Communities Film informing Design Thinking in the Urban Realm
WEDNESDAY 21 MAY WORKSHOP
FILM SCREENING
SAE INSTITUTE CAPE TOWN | 5PM – 7PM FREE ENTRY
SAE INSTITUTE CAPE TOWN | 7.30PM FREE ENTRY
Related films: Africa Shafted: Under One Roof (Martens, South Africa: 2011), The City Breath Project (Various Directors · South Africa 2010), The African Cypher (Little, South Africa: 2012), Kanyekanye (Manneke, South Africa: 2013), Dear Mandela (Kell/Nizza, South: 2011)
Africa Shafted: Under One Roof Ingrid Martens · South Africa 2011 · 50m · Documentary
Participants: Writer’s Guild South Africa. More participants to be announced.
Africa Shafted: Under One Roof captures the views and opinions of people from every corner of the African continent who are now residing in South Africa. These immigrants and refugees, who have been seen as scary, undeserving or criminal by so many others in post-apartheid South Africa, are actually diverse, ordinary people, each with a dream of a better life and wisdom to share. Sadly the film also exposes the very prejudice that led to the violent xenophobic attacks that are still today an ongoing chapter in South Africa’s recent history. The City Breath Project Various Directors · South Africa 2010 · 20m · Various languages with English subtitles · Short Experimental
Image from The City Breath Project (Dir. Various: 2010)
PIDGIN PERFECT | NATALIA PALOMBO | CONNECT Z A WORLD DESIGN CAPITAL CAPE TOWN 2014
Through their common theme, these short video ‘gasps’ or ‘breaths’ of South African cities give voice to the private dreams and nightmares of local poets, dancers, performance artist and filmmakers. They interrogate, with or against rational logic, the way South Africans understand their cities and urban life. Rebellious in their nature, under four minutes each, the films represent a genre seldom seen in South African film. The City Breath Project is a groundbreaking initiative that has initiated and developed new collaborations in the areas of the video poem, screen dance and experimental film in South Africa.
CAPE TOWN FRI 16 MAY – SAT 24 MAY THURSDAY 22 MAY + FRIDAY 23 MAY AFRICAN INNOVATION IN FILM: DESIGN THINKING INFORMING FILM TO BRIDGE DIVIDES AND CREATE SUSTAINABLE FUTURES
“If we can develop and embrace an alternative definition of cinema now, we will certainly soon thereafter see a dramatic increase in the number of films produced, and a diversification of subjects, styles, and voices. As filmmaking becomes accessible to more Africans, the resulting diversification of outlooks…will serve to invigorate our moribund audiovisual industries, creating more opportunities for both video and film.” Filmmaker Jean-Marie Teno, Cameroon. (“Imagining Alternatives: African Cinema in the New Century”, California Newsreel online blog, 2011) Following on from a discussion on storytelling and design thinking in filmmaking, we explore the power of film as a tool to change lives and improve communities through innovation in filmmaking practices and new platforms for film exhibition and distribution. With focus on Ndaba ka Ngwane’s 2012 debut feature, Uhlanga, we explore innovation in film production and the impact that practices of this nature have on communities in South Africa. It was this filmmakers unique approach to film production that inspired our wider discussion on filmmaking as a tool to bridge communities. In the initial stages of creating Uhlanga, ka Ngwane designed and facilitated a series of practical and theoretical filmmaking workshops in South African townships both as a means to engage local communities with the arts and to tell authentic stories. The purpose of these workshops was to introduce inexperienced actors with potentially raw talent to acting in general, and acting for film in particular. The workshops were also more generally used as a tool to motivate and inspire the young people living in those areas at the time.
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Included in this cast was poet Sbo da Poet. Sbo is from the same rural village portrayed in the narrative of Uhlanga. He had a deep knowledge of the Zulu language, culture and traditions. He was someone who lived through rural life and was able to ensure authenticity in his interpretation of the script and the portrayal of the character “Khaba Mhjize�. Sbo also already had a keen interest in Zulu poetry and the arts in general. By training non-actors in this process, ka Ngwane was able to harness the creative talents of the young cast and turn that into something tangible, a commodity that could be used as a tool for promotion in their future. Uhlanga went onto screen all over the world and in some instances took the entire cast across Africa to represent the film at international film festivals. The effect was immeasurable. We will also look in depth at the prominence of digital media in the exhibition and distribution of films. Innovative production practices would be redundant without a vehicle for exhibition. Take for example the emerging trend of creating films on mobile phones. In discussion with established South African organisations such as Big Fish School of Digital Filmmaking, Bozza.mobi and the World Film Collective we will explore a new ease in which South Africans are able to put their stories on film and access an international audience. We will also examine how these models might be applied throughout the continent and internationally. Similarly, within distributive media, African organisations such as Iroko TV and Buni TV are exemplifying successful models of online distribution, tackling the historical challenges with theatrical distribution in African countries.
PIDGIN PERFECT | NATALIA PALOMBO | CONNECT Z A WORLD DESIGN CAPITAL CAPE TOWN 2014
Cape Town #WDC557 Wed 21st - Fri 23rd May
Theme of the day:
African Innovation in Film Design Thinking informing Film to bridge divides and create sustainable futures
THURSDAY 22 MAY
FRIDAY 23 MAY
WORKSHOP
FILM SCREENING
SAE INSTITUTE CAPE TOWN | 5.30PM – 8.30PM FREE ENTRY
THE LABIA | 6.15PM R40
Related films: Uhlanga (Ndaba ka Ngwane, South Africa: 2012), The African Cypher (Little, South Africa: 2012), Stocktown x South Africa (Goitem, South Africa/Sweden: 2011), The City Breath Project (Various Directors · South Africa 2010)
Uhlanga South Africa - Ndaba ka Ngwane · 2012 · 1h30m · MiniDV · Zulu with English subtitles · 15
Participants: Bozza Mobi, Big Fish Film School, World Film Collective, Khulekani Zondi (Uhlanga), Writer’s Guild South Africa. More participants to be announced.
Beautiful and thought-provoking debut feature film from South African filmmaker, author and playwright Ndaba ka Ngwane. A family from rural KwaZulu-Natal struggle daily with poverty, abuse and prejudice. Their determination to escape violence, starvation, fear and a generational curse takes them on the journey of a lifetime. With stunning cinematography by first-time director of photography and film editor Khulekani Zondi, Uhlanga features a cast of young amateur actors, stirring poetry by lead protagonist and poet Sbonelo Mbutho (Sbo Da Poet) and an original and engaging soundtrack of South African music.
Image from Uhlanga (Dir. Ndaba ka Ngwane: 2012)
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Cape Town #WDC557 Wed 21st - Fri 23rd May
Theme of the day:
African Innovation in Film Design Thinking informing Film to bridge divides and create sustainable futures
FRIDAY 23 MAY FILM SCREENING THE LABIA | 8.30PM R40 Of Good Report South Africa – Jahmil Qubeka · 2013 · 1h44m · Xhosa, Zulu and Sotho with English subtitles · 15 After engaging in an illicit affair with one of his pupils, English teacher Parker Sithole spirals into an abyss of obsession that eventually turns to murder. A cinephile’s passionate homage to classic film noir, Of Good Report is a dramatic yet humorous story about a demented teacher’s attempt to get away with the murder of a teenage beauty queen. Controversially banned by the South African Film and Publication board, the film was pulled from the Durban International Film Festival in July 2013, where it was billed to be the opening film. The film was subsequently “unbanned” on the last day of the festival and has come on to screen extensively internationally including at the 57th BFI London Film Festival (where it was included in official competition) and the Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles. This screening will be followed by a Q&A session with the director, Jahmil Qubeka.
Image from Of Good Report (Dir. Jahmil Qubeka: 2013)
PIDGIN PERFECT | NATALIA PALOMBO | CONNECT Z A WORLD DESIGN CAPITAL CAPE TOWN 2014
AFRICAN FILM EVENTS IN CAPE TOWN MAY 2014
University of Cape Town Centre for Film and Media Studies The university of Cape Town Centre for Film and Media Studies present a season of old Cape Town Thrillers, Horror and Short Films taking place at The Labia cinema from May - August. Films include The Satyr of Springbok Heights (Silke, 2009) and Azure (2002, Rickards) and House of the Living Dead (1974, Austin). Friday 16 May | The Labia Table Bay [Code 7 Target 5] (1964, Lynn) The Second Sin (1966, Millin)
Writers Guild South Africa (WGSA) Writers Guild South Africa have various workshops taking place throughout the month, including a workshop titled ‘Writing for Games’ on the 17th and 18th May. Keep an eye on WGSA Facebook page for announcements: https://www.facebook. com/wgsainfo The WGSA protect, empower and develop performance writers in the local film, television, radio, stage, animation and new media (internet – mobile and digital distribution, and gaming) industries.
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PIDGIN PERFECT | NATALIA PALOMBO | CONNECT Z A WORLD DESIGN CAPITAL CAPE TOWN 2014 Image by Filipa Domingues from The African Cypher (Dir. Bryan Little: 2013)
VENUES
Ithuba Art Gallery 100 Juta Street (entrance on Biccard) Braamfontein Johannesburg Since its inception in 2011, the Ithuba Arts Fund, founded by the Citiq Group, has supported 22 artists. The project is focused on providing a platform for emerging artists based in and around Johannesburg. The Ithuba Arts Gallery has housed both Ithuba Arts Fund solo and group shows as well as external exhibitions by applying artists from the creative community of Johannesburg. The space also has seen popup restaurants, end of year cocktail parties and tour groups. All proceeds go towards funding the space and supporting the Ithuba Arts Fund annual artist selection.
Bioscope Independent Cinema 286 Fox Street City and Suburban Cape Town 2094 The Bioscope Independent Cinema is an innovative independent cinema located in downtown Johannesburg. The aim of the project as always been to increase the diversity of content on South African cinema screens thereby becoming an important cultural space in the city of Johannesburg. In bringing new films to new audiences, The Bioscope Independent Cinema has helped play a fundamental role in growing new markets for new films, becoming a vital mechanism in developing local audiences for locally & internationally produced cinema
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The German Club (cnr Roodehek & Hope Street) Cape Town 8001
The Labia, 68 Orange Street, Gardens Cape Town The Labia Theatre is the oldest Independent Art-Repertory Cinema in South Africa, showing independent movies, foreign films, historical cinema and other alternative and art circuit films.
SAE Institute Cape Town Woodstock Exchange 66 Albert Road, Woodstock, 7295 3rd Floor Cape Town The School of Audio Engineering enrolled its first class of students in February 1977 in Sydney Australia, and now features 56 campuses in 23 counties, making it the largest and most credible provider of tertiary education in creative media technologies in the world. In 2008 we chose Cape Town as the location for our first campus in Africa, as the Mother City is the recognised creative capital of the continent. Come to the City that was named The World’s Best Destination in TripAdvisor’s 2011 Travelers’ Choice Awards, was voted World Design Capital 2014, and is home to Table Mountain that is one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
PIDGIN PERFECT | NATALIA PALOMBO | CONNECT Z A WORLD DESIGN CAPITAL CAPE TOWN 2014
The Power of Film to Transform Lives & Communities: Festival of African Storytelling, Film & Design is a project developed by the Glasgow based creative studio Pidgin Perfect in collaboration with African film researcher Natalia Palombo. These explorations and discussions will be opened up to the World to participate in through global twitter conversations run in collaboration with Future Cape Town. Follow #thePowerofFilm to join the discussion! For further information: Visit www.pidginperfect.com www.pidginperfect.tumblr.com www.twitter.com/pidginperfect www.filmtransforminglives.tumblr.com
#ThePowerofFilm
Click here for Joburg & Cape Town Festival Flyers. Contact email: dele@pidginperfect.com tel: 0044 141 226 4092
PIDGIN PERFECT | NATALIA PALOMBO | CONNECT Z A WORLD DESIGN CAPITAL CAPE TOWN 2014