Lagos Film Review

iREP 2016 Daily Coverage Vol. 4

the shortest documentary screened at the IREP Documen- Decrying Deforestation tary Festival 2016. The use of strong images, poetry Perspectives on Tunde Kelani’s PYROLYSIS OR PARALYSIS and properly documented re- search is used to convey a pow- erful message about how the high demand of charcoal both locally and internationally is resulting in grave consequences of deforestation and environ- mental degradation of Kelani’s beloved country, Nigeria. Will the government ensure that the individuals involved in this mega-lucrative charcoal business are adequately edu- cated in order to desist from

this occupation and probably start a new trade? What policies have been put in place to ensure a stop to this? These were some of the questions on everyone’s lips at the end of the screening. Many understood the harsh A scene from Agogo Eewo, an earlier work by Kelani on deforestation. realities of climate change and and parked into bags trans- Pyrolysis is the change of chemi- that cutting down a tree- with Jite, Wome and Amarachukwu ported to a collection point cal and physical composition, no intension of ever replacing it from where they are carried an irreversible change: in this - and then burning it to produce In three minutes, Tunde Kelani away in trailers; a lone bird sit- case from a living tree to char- charcoal did more harm than tells a powerful story. Using a ting on a dead tree stump. coal. The title itself is a ques- good. - Wome Uyeye sequence of photographs and tion: Is this just change or is it poetry as narration, PYROLYSIS The documentary is not just paralyzing the ecosystem? Late Kenyan activist Wangari OR PARALYSIS shines a light short; it was made in a short Muta Maathai must feel vindi- on a little spoken about aspect time, in a bid to meet up with Coming on the heels of the cated in her grave when she of deforestation: deforestation the iREP Film Festival. This discussion on Documentary learns of PYROLYSIS OR PA- for the purpose of producing does not detract in any way Funding with Steven Markovitz, RALYSIS, a three-minute docu- charcoal for exportation. from the message. The brevity the documentary also achieved makes it a punch in the gut and something additional: the idea mentary film by one of Nigeria’s leaves the viewers shocked and that even with meagre re- most prominent film-makers, The words of theatre artist Se- Tunde Kelani. gun Adefila portrays Mother with a lot of questions. sources, African filmmakers can Earth as a woman being un- tell their stories. What leads a people to strip PYROLYSIS OR PARALYSIS dressed, and accompanying pho- their lands of trees, down to the – Jite Efemuaye relies solely on still photographs tographs provide the imagery: a smallest species – fire doesn’t in doing an exposé on the proc- lush forest, green and with chirp- discriminate against size - and Nobody seated in the audience ess of producing charcoal, a ing birds on trees; the cutting- expose it to all of the problems had an accurate inkling of what source of fuel for many impov- down of these trees leaving that follow deforestation? Can it to expect from Tunde Kelani’s erished Nigerians, who use it to stumps behind; the wood burnt be stopped? Who takes responsi- PYROLYSIS OR PARALYSIS stories continue on P2. bility for stopping it? A 2007 law banning prostitutes empow- The War against Women ered the group; a moral police encourages By Oris Aigbokhaevbolo them. One of the more disappointing but hardly surprising parts of the film shows a young woman, probably Muslim from her dressing, saying on camera that it is only fair that these things happen. "It's not right for a lady to move around at night," she says. And herein is the trouble with these things. Part of the problem must be from regular people who support the policing of women’s bodies. It is hardly the same with men, who the absence of ovaries appears to impart an autonomy unshared by the other sex. SILENT TEARS joins FUELLING POV- ERTY, Bako’s banned documentary on the fuel crisis, as a portrait of a people confronting the government. Where that one showed the protesting; this one is the Perhaps the most important bit of Ishaya episodes that go unattended: in this case, the protest. By giving the victims of state abuse Bako’s documentary SILENT TEARS comes plight of women in Nigeria’s capital city a voice and several faces—save for one vic- at the start. We are told that parts of the film Abuja, specifically women who walk the tim whose identity is protected, SILENT are dramatized. It is possible to think of this streets at night. TEARS itself becomes the protest. as affecting the acclaimed truthfulness of the SILENT TEARS introduces women who “Is there a war against women?” the film documentary format. But that thought ob- have been maltreated and sometimes mo- seems to ask at every turn. It is probably a scures a bigger concern: There are injustices lested by the Abuja Environmental Protec- rhetorical question. But on evidence pre- that are essentially unknowable and cannot tion Board (AEPB), a group that appears at sented here, the answer is an undeniable be documented. In the world we inhabit night and whisks away women. The aim, yes. with its abundance of cameras, there still are ostensibly, is to rid the streets of sex workers. episodes that go unattended: in this case, the In practice though, no woman is safe alone plight of women in Nigeria’s capital city or in company.

Decrying Deforestation Songs of Freedom By Wome Uyeye

Story from P1 Iara Lee’s LIFE IS WAITING: REFEREN- documentary, further raises questions of DUM AND RESISTANCE IN WESTERN just how much torture Flitook Craizy cook either domestically (or commercially), SAHARA, is a 59-minute film examining thinks his slight body can take before the iron clothes amongst other uses. the four-decade long conflict between the change he seeks for himself and his peo- It is astonishing to see trucks loaded with Sahrawis and Moroccan authority, in the ple will come. charcoal, leaving the point of production and former’s search for independence. heading to the market on the one hand and True freedom remains relatively elusive in While risking constant torture and deten- the devastation left by deforestation in form Africa’s last colony, which was at one time tion at the hands of Moroccan authori- of bare grounds on the other. under Spanish rule. ties, he continues with the rapping and advocacy vowing to “…never quit since As Prof. Awam Amkpa remarked during the Today’s generation of young activists are the ill-treatment of his people won’t question and answer session with Tunde Ke- deploying creative non-violent resistance for stop’’. Craizy is more than convinced lani, “big budgets are not always needed for the cause of self-determination. Spearhead- that he leads a unique group of youth making films. Film-making is about composi- ing such change is rap artiste Flitook Craizy. who have lost patience with the interna- tion and photography is fundamental in docu- Craizy is no stranger to Moroccan police tional community and are ready to launch mentary film-making.” brutality as he has been beaten up several another guerrilla war. times for speaking up for his people in his songs. The tensions Lee is able to portray in Kelani deserves accolades for his ingenuity in LIFE IS WAITING cannot be over- PYROLYSIS OR PARALYSIS, a 3-minute He is badly battered by the Moroccan au- looked and the fact that the Sahrawis film, which does not necessarily deserve to be thorities yet again, and the director’s choice need a true and lasting independence a minute longer, but which nonetheless tells a of sharing images of this in the cannot be over-emphasized. brilliant story. – Amarachukwu Iwuala By Didi Cheeka Performing Gender

I'd wanted to title this “Kill Your Darlings”, bill in major U.S. cities. As an aside, it comes taking place, there is a scandalous admis- that is the advice I would have given to the on the heels of anti-same-sex bills in major sion: 70% of Lagos' gay community is HIV makers of KIKI, a documentary that explores African countries, including Nigeria. Positive. Rejection and ostracism also the drag ball culture of New York's youth of mean an absence of adequate health cover- colour. It is correct to say that this movie KIKI offers free entry into ball contests and age.) But, there are also moving testa- feels somewhat long and drags a bit. How- behind-the-scene preparations for drag and ments, alongside the moments of agoniz- ever, this takes nothing important away from voguing challenges among different "Houses" ing loneliness and pain, of families, moth- it. Co-written by the director, Sara Jordenö whose names seem as exotic as the contest- ers who have embraced their sons as with Twiggy Pucci Garçon, this movie comes ants: House of Unbothered Carrier, House daughters. some 25 years after Jennie Livingston's of Amazura. An endangered species, these PARIS IS BURNING, which explores the drag ballers encounter rejection and ridicule, KIKI keeps its political commentary just fascinating underground culture of drag and which they turn into personal and political below the surface, with no desire to score voguing contests in New York. statements. Forced to leave home, the overtly political points. There is a sense in Houses become the second home, a place of which, beneath the outer bravado, this Vogue, or voguing, is a highly stylized urban belonging where they are safe and accepted. film also reads as a love story. But, it is a House dance that evolved out of the Harlem The House Mothers become true surrogates. lonely kind of love, marked by tragedy. ballroom scene in the 80s, inspired by mod- Exiles, they find each other, they roam an The love of these tragic figures seems a els posing on the pages of Vogue. Dancers, arid Sahara. Yet, each moment that passes love like any other. In a way, the film affiliated to Houses (mostly named after fash- spells the difference between living and dying seems to make the point that love can ion houses) gather to compete in voguing - like Venus Xtravaganza who was murdered grow even in the darkest environment - all battles. Invented on the streets of Harlem, in a hotel room and Octavia St. Laurent, that is needed is room to blossom. There voguing became mainstream after it was who succumbed to AIDS and cancer in is, therefore, in this film an underlying "appropriated" by a pop icon, Madonna. But, PARIS IS BURNING. KIKI suffers its own attitude of defiance, affirmation of self. it was Livingston’s film that elevated it to cult AIDS-related death, too. As evidenced by the There is an exhilarating feel to the voguing status. film's interview sequences, many of these sequences, it is the sheer joy of what the youths are homeless, rejected by family and human body could be made to do, how I had been fascinated the first time I encoun- ostracized by their community when they seemingly effortlessly it could be made to tered this scene in Livingston's PARIS... You come out as gay. The director cuts through perform beauty. wonder what new grounds a cinematic treat- their cultivated proud exterior to reveal ordi- ment of this culture could possibly tread. nary human beings wanting nothing but to KIKI is a free invitation to take front row Jordenö's film pulses with energy and a driv- love and be loved without shame or fear. It is at Harlem's 1930s Rockland Ballroom - in ing rhythm. The one difference, probably, is this rejection and ostracism, the absence of 2016. I think one of the film's strongest the political context: KIKI takes place against employment opportunities that forces most points is the way it confronts gender as the backdrop of the Black Lives Matter move- of these ball participants into prostitution something that can be constructed, per- ment; the entrance of trans- rights into the and its inherent dangers and risks. (When formed. And when it's pulled off, that's political spectrum, and passage of same-sex the lights come back on in the arthouse at- "realness." mosphere where the screening is iREP 2016 in Pictures When Fiofori met Olaku… By Dare Dan

We are sure director Tam Fiofori met works as he narrates the ideas that birthed Biodun Olaku. What is not certain how- them. In a few cases, as it is with a piece ever is if filmmaking, at that point, met titled ‘Refugees’, one can sense beauty but painting. Fiofori’s BIODUN OLAKU: NI- the filming and narration drowns every GERIAN PAINTER is a strictly an inter- sense of aesthetics in the whole process. view rendered by a Nigerian painter. There is no escaping the languor as Olaku ends almost every thought on his works by Before screening, the audience was im- addressing socio-political and economic plored to ignore technical hitches, and tap issues with conclusive words and religious into “a philosophy of giving exposure to beliefs thereby drenching any other thought those who deserve it”, although it was show- process on them. ing at an international film festival where people from different backgrounds all over The ability to integrate other genres of art the world have been invited to see a film. forms with a taste of history and, of course, Does it not sound demeaning to use film technological aesthetics has always been the for the sole purpose of giving exposure to edge that documentary film has over other the so-called people “who deserve it”? forms of art. Filming is a hydra-headed art “It is an impromptu and surprise filming,” form that should serve audience’s con- Fiofori explained further. And I am asking science with a guiding philosophy. why can’t the film be left to say this? BIODUN OLAKU: THE NIGERIAN PAINTER gives little or none of this. In a sequential manner, Biodun Olaku Thank you, Mr. Fiofori, for introducing talks about his paintings in and out of a Biodun Olaku and his work to me. But why place that could be guessed to be his house. would I want to see this film again? The camera zooms in and out too on his

Stealing Art, Stealing Identity By Adefoyeke Ajao Filmed in 1953 by Alain Resnais, Chris Marker, and Ghislain Cloquet, STATUES ALSO DIE examines the corruptive influ- ences of colonisation through art. It is a story of subjugation, oppression and cul- tural imperialism and its effects on the Afri- can’s perception of artefacts of his cultural identity. STATUES ALSO DIE focuses on the submission of African culture to the hegemonic nuances of colonisation. It focuses on the invasion of African coun- Resnais, Marker, and Cloquet make good The more subtle and repackaged form de- tries by European superpowers and the use of visuals: a short exhibition of various scribed as globalisation, is tailored to finish plundering that reduced prestigious sculp- artworks stolen from different African coun- what colonisation has started: to create the tures to mere inanimate trophies stripped tries against a dark background and still mu- belief that some cultures are superior to and of meaning and housed in foreign muse- sic; footage of festivals, dances and craftsmen more acceptable than others and replace a ums. The filmmakers draw attention to a and women at work give you a glimpse of graceful and colourful culture with a degrad- bigger issue: It is not only the art that was the gracefulness of a culture that has been ing counterfeit. plundered, but the people’s self-esteem, tagged “barbaric”. This reveals the beauty of identity and heritage. The people are re- For the trio of directors, African artworks African art and heirlooms, for anyone in duced to slaves who are unable to define are not meaningless, worthless dummies, doubt to appreciate the skill and effort in- themselves (or their surroundings) apart designed to grace dainty museum shelves, vested in their creation. from the colonialist perspective. It is obvi- they are objects that give insight into the ous that the whites “project their own de- Despite being filmed over half a century ago, idiosyncrasies of previous generations and mons [on to anything African] as a way to it is quite unfortunate that the cultural im- civilisations. For them, no civilisation or purge themselves of them” labelling them perialism decried by the filmmakers is still culture is superior to another and it is dis- as contaminated objects from “the kingdom present years after most countries have heartening that Africans choose instead to of Satan” a view Africans also unfortunately gained independence from their colonial denounce their heritage for one that en- subscribe to. It is not only the statues that masters. slaves and alienates them from the beauty of die, but the cultural legacies of Africans. their legacy. Pitching with Andy Jones By Adefoyeke Ajao

Anyone who has ever been in a classroom might have expected Andy Jones’ session on pitching to be a drawn-out, one-sided regurgitation of textbook marketing princi- ples. However that opinion changed when shortly before the session started, a member of the audience wanted clarification about the title of Jones’ I SHOT BI KIDUDE, which was shown earlier in the IREP Docu- mentary festival, considering that no gun shots were fired in the film. Jones re- sponded that the only shots fired were from his camera and that he wanted the title to be as memorable as possible. Jones and his wit had already arrested the audience’s at- tention although the session was yet to be- gin. The session was anchored by young film- maker, Lanre Olupona, who was curious to know how aspiring film professionals in a country like Nigeria could sell their ideas and stories to investors and obtain funding In Jones’ opinion, pitching is not restricted of film-making, as it was more important to for their work. Drawing from his personal by walls as it could be done in formal or have a story, a dedicated team and access to experiences, Jones explained that the es- informal settings and he went ahead to equipment. Regardless of a pitch’s success (or sence of pitching is to get funding for a make a case for crowdfunding as a fund- lack of it), each pitch should be regarded as a project. Funding in this case is not re- raising option. For Jones, it is important for learning experience. stricted to financials, but also includes the filmmaker to surround himself with a The session rounded off with members of the “networks of love and support” that will team of experts from different fields who audience such as film-makers Barbara Off, facilitate collaboration and refinement of will help him speak the language of inves- Chris Ihidero and Judith Audu corroborating ideas. Pitches involve a lot of work and tors who are interested in aspects other than the importance of relationships and collabo- should be as succinct and interesting as the story. He reasoned that people would rations. Ihidero advised young film-makers to possible to create immediate buy-in for the only partner with those they trust and em- “prostitute” their skills by participating in proposed idea. He suggested the use of at- phasised the importance of keeping the au- commercial projects, and gain appropriate tractive visual aids against tedious paper- dience in mind while pitching. According to exposure and credibility to develop pedigree work that might make a frustrating read. him, funding was the least important aspect within the industry. More photos from iREP 2016 Standing Strong against Sickle Cell By Jite Efemuaye

If one asks the average Nigerian what the life expectancy of a person living with Sickle Cell Disorder (SCD) is, the answer is most often put between twenty-one and twenty-five. Joel Benson’s STILL STANDING begins with the basic information about SCD: there is a 25% chance of having a child with SCD if both parents carry the sickle cell gene (both AS). Toyin Adesola discovered she had sickle cell disorder when she was six. From then on, it became a battle for survival, one that became even more complicated when on one of her frequent visits to a hospital, her small baking business and start Sickle Cell expectations, one does not get to see the hip bone snapped out of the socket as she Advocacy, a non-profit organisation. STILL other side of the divide. SCD is a condition tried to roll herself over in a bid to avoid STANDING however fails to expand on the that requires proper management and a bedsores. The incident left her with a per- work the non-profit does beyond a scene of strong support system. Only passing men- manent disability, requiring her use of a her distributing drugs to SCD sufferers. tion is made of these and Adesola’s relative stick to walk. The six months she was bed- The climax of the film comes as a video clip longevity – if one goes by what is shown – ridden were, according to her, the worst of of an event in Adesola’s honour plays and can be put down to determination and spiri- her life, and also the beginning. She found she is revealed to be 50 years old. tual beliefs. reason to do more than just be a statistic. Beyond depicting Adesola as a strong STILL STANDING could have benefited Adesola is the central subject of the 14- woman who is a motivation and an inspira- from more time, to, at the very least, balance minute film, where she talks about how she tion and is still standing despite society’s the narrative with some realities. was able to return back to school, run a

Uplifting the Special Ones By Jite Efemuaye

The director of UPLIFTING DOWN: families have registered with Down Syn- NIGERIA, Steve Gaitlin became interested drome Nigeria, a small drop in a sea of close in Down syndrome in Nigeria after inter- to 169 million people, where the pervading viewing Rose Mordi at the National Down belief is that special needs children should Syndrome Congress in Arizona in June be hidden away, and in some known cases, 2015. The mother of a 28-year-old special abandoned and/or killed. needs daughter talked about the culture of The central focus of the film is people living silence that surrounds the disorder with Down syndrome and a lot of time is What she says in the interview - being told dedicated to showing them in their element: her daughter was a snake and should be in class, out playing, at social functions and taken to a river, amongst other things -, giving interviews. It succeeds in not being a caught Gaitlin’s attention and with a team pity-party; these are people who are living of three educators, he came to Nigeria to their lives to the fullest and have strong make his film. support systems. Following Mordi, who started the organiza- Beyond caring for their children or wards, tion Down Syndrome Nigeria, 18 years ago we see parents also doing their best to move These challenges and triumphs are the same and runs a home for children with Down’s, the society from ignorance to awareness. As for other parents with special needs off- the film opens up a topic that is only begin- Mrs. Mordi points out, when she first had spring: autism and cerebral palsy get their ning to get public attention in recent years her daughter, she had never seen a child share of film time. due to the efforts of parents like Muyiwa with Down out in public but in recent years Steve Gaitlin may have set out to make a Majekodunmi – who has a son with the more and more families are opening up. film because of one woman’s story that capti- disorder – and have taken it upon them- “Down is not a disease, it is not communica- vated him. His film’s overall success is in selves to educate the society about the condi- ble and cannot be avoided,” is a message giving a voice to people with special needs – tion. constantly repeated in UPLIFTING some in their own words, others in the In the 18 years of running the home, 300 DOWN: NIGERIA words of those who care for and love them. An Ode to Good Music By Agnes Atsuah

Unapologetically Yoruba, FAAJI AGBA offers a beautifully-done intimate look into juju music and its everlasting effect on Lagos, Nigeria and the world. Not many people, especially millennials with their supposedly short attention spans, are truly aware of the beginnings of juju music, highlife, afrojazz, palmwine music and afrobeat. Most are famil- iar with Fela, Shina Peters, Ebenezer Obey - big names with big hits, and this is perfectly fine. For the uninitiated or the unaware, Remi- Vaughan Richards’ documentary offers “new” names with old faces; fingers callused by mu- sical instruments; voices perfected by years of practice, and stories entwined tightly with music from a time when Nigeria appreciated her artists so the world had no choice but to follow suit. 91 minutes long, spanning a six- year documentation journey and there is still mistakes with seven of them even succeeding that begins full of inspiration, not enough time to pick the brains of the in travelling to New York to perform and hope, innocence and ends with the dous- pioneers, the trail blazers, and to sit around remind the world of its indebtedness to La- ing of stars the world forgot but should the communal bonfire so to speak, and listen gos and her gift of Afro music. Archival foot- remember and salute. to the stories tinged brightly with the music age of a Lagos gone by is interspersed so well of Fatai Rolling Dollar, Niyi Ajileye, Alaba with the rest of the film that it is almost as Lagos Film Review Newsroom Pedro, Eji Oyewole, Shina Ayinde-Bakare, though no time at all has passed and noth- S.F. Olowookere, Samson Adegbite, Taiye ing has changed with Afro music still being Contributors Ayanwale, Nureini Sumola, and Kunle blasted at street parties and every event. Dialogue is mostly in Yoruba and there is Amarachukwu Iwuala Adeniran. Agnes Atsuah perhaps no better way to experience the hi- FAAJI AGBA follows superstars too long out Oludamilare Kolawole Dan larious constant bickering and ‘flexing’ of of the spotlight but not lacking the charisma Adefoyeke Ajao and the "yanga" of any popular musician of these nine wonders. Kunle Tejuoso is not Wome Uyeye today. Vaughan-Richards’ film is clearly a only a sponsor but also the glue that holds Oris Aigbokhaevbolo passion project as she uses an intimate style these celebrities together almost more so Didi Cheeka that allows these musical wonders to not only than their mutual love for music itself; his Jite Efemuaye shine but express themselves in their individ- dedication to returning them to the spot- ual ways. The use of still shots captures beau- light that they so rightly deserve is laudable. Photographer tiful moments and character in a way only FAAJI AGBA is not all laughs and cheeky Opeyemi Balogun photography can and the soundtrack is a mix proverbs though, as this film while showing of music both familiar and new that makes an irrefutable love for music, also shows how Graphic Designer: dancing in your seat almost insulting. This easily it can be forgotten, left behind as a Aderemi Adegbite film is a countdown and timeline not only of result of poor management and the coun- try's continuous reluctance to honor her Editor: performances and festivals but of the colour- Aderinsola Ajao ful, engaging and absolutely relatable grandfa- brightest stars. therly subjects ranging from 64 to 84 years The confusion at another old-timer’s burial Published by old. scene in a mostly empty church; one of the Through Fatai Rolling Dollar, Jazzhole Re- oldest, now dilapidated saxophone stores cords owner Kunle Tejuoso met and assem- which had Fela as a major client, and the old bled the members of Faaji Agba. Through boxing school in Lagos where Nigerian box- persistence and more importantly patience - ing stars learnt their trade, are constant re- as old men honed in their chosen profession minders of the effects of disuse and aban- are not wont to learn new tricks - , Tejuoso donment. Supported by brings them together through their love for FAAJI AGBA is a farewell and a gentle, nos- music to revitalize not only their careers but talgic prod to remember, to renew interest their names as well. But learn new tricks they and perhaps inspire even more than its fea- do as they perform twice at the Eyo festival tured music has since the 40s. The docu- (in 2009 and 2011), and learn from their mentary takes one on a musical journey