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Gabon |
CINEMA
Gabon’s cinematographic industry won the «Golden Tanit» Award
with the full
length film, «Dôlé», at the 18th Film Festival of Carthage, Tunisia.
Gabon
thus stepped into the limelight and found its bearings again
«Dôlé» is a work of fiction by the Gabonese, Léon Imunga Ivanga. It tells the life of a group of youths. It’s success has come about, ever since Gabon’s film industry has been taken in hand by people who really know their job. Young actors and screen directors have rediscovered an environment in which they can exercise their talents and creativity. Better days lie ahead; they are really concerned that Gabon should once again take its rightful place in the world of the silver screen.
Charles Mensah, director-general of the National Cinema Centre (CENACI) puts it this way: «CENACI aims to upgrade Gabon’s cinema industry». To this purpose, he has issued guidelines for the distribution and screening of films. He himself will take personal charge of production. CENACI is a public corporation depending on the Ministry of Posts and Communications. It has its own budget from the State to enable it to promote Gabon’s cinema and audiovisual industry.
Mr Mensah also says: «For a time, due to lack of funds, CENACI existed only as a government plan with no actual production plans or strategy. But even when we didn’t always have what we wanted, the State guided us and eventually we were able to complete all our projects, thanks to the State’s support».
The cinema and its history
Explorers, ethnologists and film-makers have for long travelled the length and breadth of the country, oblivious to the fact that Gabon has many hidden natural riches. The list of films «made in Gabon» during colonial times is a very short one indeed.
In 1936, George Manuel produced a film on forestry exploitation for France’s Overseas’s Ministry: The film was entitled: «Gabon, Kingdom of the Forest». Much later, after World War II, three more films were produced with excellent sound tracks. Following independence, a 16mm appeared in 1962 followed by a dozen others, thanks to government encouragement.
Gabon’s cinema industry really took off in 1960 with Philippe Mory, a local comedian, trained in France and considered to be the father of Gabonese cinema. His first production was «The Cage», which he decided to shoot with his own production team. «Tom-Toms fell silent», screened in 1971, was Mory’s first full-length Gabonese feature film. He said: «I wanted to describe how one kind of Africa — that of tradition, a closely-knit community way of life, and religiosity — has now ended. It’s not a film for intellectuals but for ordinary people. I hoped to make my young fellow-countrymen aware of the world of the cinema and the profession of the film-maker. I don’t know if they were convinced, but in any case, the films are there for all to see».
Production resumed
For a long time, film production in Gabon lacked a well-defined policy. To relaunch the industry, production has been centred on documentaries and light features for television. For the past three years, CENACI has speeded up production with the made-for-TV film, «Orega», shot by Marcel Sandja. This was followed by the full-length film «Dôlé» produced by Imunga Ivanga, which won a prize in October 2000 at the Carthage Film Festival, having already won the Judges’ Special Prize at the Cannes (Junior section) 2000 film festival. Adrien Anguilet Ndama, one of the stars of Gabon’s feature film: «The Inn of Salvation», says: «Twenty full-length and eighteen short films from a dozen Arab and African countries competed at the Carthage Film Festival. In all, 180 films from 42 different countries were screened in the festival’s various sections».
«Dôlé» was also on the programme of the African Film Seminar of Ferney-Voltaire, in L’Ain, France, organised by Evelyne Renard, president of the Malaika Association. This seminar was devoted to making the professionals aware of Africa’s film industry. The Ferney-Voltaire seminar was especially valuable in providing the opportunity for cinema goers and film-makers to rub shoulders in a way impossible at festivals with much larger budgets. For several months, now, a number of film distributers have welcomed African films. They are taking a chance that people will come to see African films.
At the next Pan-African Film and Television Festival (FESPACO) to be held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, the full-length film produced by CENACI, Henri Joseph Koumba’s «The Elephant’s Bollocks», will be screened. Anguilet Ndama says: «This full-length 35mm film costing nearly 800 million CFA francs, has been shot and is in the post-production phase in Europe. It will be ready here by the end of the year, with Jean Claude Mpaka in the principal role. He’s good at the job because of his long experience in front of the cameras».
Are young people following
in Jean Claude’s footsteps?
CENACI ‘s boss, Charles Mensah, thinks they are. He says: «Select young people from good backgrounds who show promise as actors and direct them towards a career in the film industry, by getting them a bursary in one of the drama schools. There are other promising candidates who for various reasons such as age, have little hope of getting such a bursary. These, however, can be offered openings in film crews and here they can receive on-the-job training. Unfortunately, too many young people think that the film industry is an easy option. And three-quarters of them lack even the minimum of education required. These will never find a future in the film industry».
The latest films produced in Gabon by CENACI have been first attempts by young producers. Concerning comedians, there’s a constant turnover of stars, those with talent coming to the fore and remaining there. Others drift away. Each new film brings with it new faces, giving opportunities for fresh talents.
Grouped together in an association, Gabonese film-makers have realised there’s strength in unity. Film-makers in Senegal, Niger, Burkina Faso and Gabon all acknowledge that their interest lies in meeting, exchanging experiences and being open to outside influences.
Other films produced or co-produced by CENACI include: Henri Joseph Loumba’s short 16mm — «The Mad Monkey» (1986); Dread Pol Mouketa’s short 16mm — «Raphia» (1987. This film won the Golden Tanit Award for short productions at Carthage in 1988); A co-production made-for-video film — «The Inn of Salvation» (1994/1996. This film received a “special mention” by the Ministry for Cooperation at FESPACO 1995); Bassek Ba Kobhio’s full-length 35mm — «The Great White Man of Lambaréné» (1994-1995); Léon Imunga Ivanga’s 26 minute made-for-video film — «The Soldiers from Other Parts» (1996).
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