Making no less than thirteen short films within a short period would be quite an achievement for any film maker in any country or continent, but everyone will understand that such a production in a small African country like Congo (Brazzaville, not to be confused with the large Congo with Kinshasa as its capital) demands great perseverance and ingenuity.
Twelve of the thirteen films (the short film Coupable is a slight exception) were made by Les Boulistes, a collective of actors and film makers. Writer and director Amour Saveur is undisputedly the leader of the group. It is his outspoken humour and irony that drives the stories. Each film comprises a small, often social theme that is captured in a clear and burlesque way in a series of jokes. The procedure is actually quite old, but also largely forgotten. The films are short (six minutes each) and tell the story in a manner reminiscent of silent cinema. The opening melody of the films, which sounds like a honky-tonk piano, immediately evokes this mood.
The short films also form a kind of training ground for the group. The early parts are made with less technical self-assurance than the later ones. By making all the films with the same people, a tight team emerged. A team of friends, clearly, because even accessible short comedies have to be made on a small budget in a country like Congo.
Also in this combined programme
-
Thank You Mama
Film maker Omelga Mthiyane follows her mother across a large and renowned market in Durban, South Africa. The market has to go in order to… -
The Will
A small story about greed. A boy has lost his parents and the family claims the inheritance. But then an angry dead father appears on… -
Sarah and Omelga
Tan Chui Mui shot a short science-fiction film in South Africa (see No Woman Born). In that way she got to know the film makers… -
Le choix
A father puts two of his daughter’s admirers to the test. Second part of a sitcom in twelve episodes of six minutes each that can…
Film details
- Country of production
- Congo-Brazzaville
- Year
- 2010
- Festival edition
- IFFR 2010
- Length
- 13'
- Medium/Format
- DV cam
