English – Page 14 – Documentary Field Notes and Flashpoints

Serge Giguère’s ‘best of’ the Rencontres (Montreal)

From the film ‘Comme à Cuba.’

(This is a translation of the post from last week. Thanks Jeannette Pope)

Some weeks ago I attended a master workshop by Serge Giguère, one of our celebrated documentary filmmakers. His most recent film, the extraordinary – À Force des Réves – Productions du Rapide blanc – won the Jutra for the best documentary of 2006.
My friend Simon Bujold and I filmed the event and we’ll have the opportunity to discuss this at a later date.
Meanwhile I asked Serge to speak to us about a film which he liked at the Rencontres du documantaire de Montreal.
Here’s his choice:

“ I saw a film yesterday evening which touched me a lot – ‘Comme a Cuba’ – A film which the filmmaker Fernand Bélanger left unfinished before his death. His friends, Louise Dugal and Yves Angrignon luckily for all of us completed this work.

During more than an hour we are transported by images of workers doing simple trades and living their everyday life while the days tick by, driven along by a sound track of Cuban popular songs.
It’s incredible how the editing twines in perfect synchronicity between what we hear in the songs and what we see in the picture. It makes us feel so close to all the small daily gestures as it captures the Cuban soul. This is homage to ‘the people of people’ who, in spite of the pressure in their everyday life, the very precariousness of it, still manage to find moments of happiness.
As the theme song says which comes in like a lament, pulsing and pushing the film as it builds around the days: “When will I arrive home? ”. This is a nice metaphor for a film which steps towards freedom. I really suggest that you see it for it’s spellbinding images which cut into the heart of Cuban daily life.
I hope that it will be broadcast, for this is a film made with such a big personal investment by the filmmaker.”

The Big Sellout and Martin Duckworth’s ‘best of’ Rencontres

Martin Duckworth, friend, Director and DOP. (my photo)

I have seen a number of films at the Rencontres (Montreal) in the last few days, but in the end I don’t think I made the right choices. I went for some ‘big’ films on ‘big’ subjects, made by high-profile filmmakers, and was surprised to find myself disappointed. How do you make a ‘big’ film on an important subject without being pretentious or heavy-handed, without ‘voice-of-god’ narration or television-like interviews ? Well, one answer to that question came last night in the form a film called ‘The Big Sellout,’ by Florian Opitz (Germany) part of both the Rencontres and the Cinema Politica series at Concordia University. It is about the impact of cutbacks and neoliberal economic policies on ordinary people, in several countries around the globe. It starts with an interview clip from Joseph Stiglitz, former chief economist at the World Bank and winner of the Nobel prize in economics . He says modern economics as promoted by the IMF and the World Bank are like modern warfare: its devastating impact is often hidden from us because virtual realities have become more prominent than real life. That defines a role for documentaries, doesn’t it. And the film really delivers, with a close-to-the characters study of what privatisation and cutbacks have done to ordinary people, in South Africa, the Philippines, England and Bolivia. Chapeau !

Fortunately, since my own choices of films weren’t the best, the Rencontres had asked me to introduce a few films which I might not otherwise have seen, and I saw a few gems which I will come back to in coming days.

Meanwhile, here is a ‘coup de coeur’ from my very dear friend and colleague Martin Duckworth, a great director and DOP ( he must have directed 30 and shot a thousand) who truly loves documentaries. ( The film he chose is a short made by James Longley who directed the much-acclaimed Iraq in Fragments.)

“I have seen eleven documentaries so far in the festival, and plan
to see another three. They are all well crafted pieces about
important subjects, and with enough drama in them to capture
audiences. But only one of what I have seen so far I would call a
real film–that is, a work that is bigger than the subject and the
craft, a work that will live as long as there is cinema. It was
“Sari’s Mother“, by James Longley, 21 minutes long, shot in 35mm.

It is the cinematic equivalent of Kathy Kollwitz’s gouaches of
mother, child and death–gouaches that will last as long as there
is visual art. Longley and Kollwitz both deal with the
abominations of war and poverty in such an intimate way that we identify
completely with the characters, their anguish becomes ours, and
they ignite in us the kind of gut fury that standard
documentaries rarely provoke. We all know that good documentaries
need central characters. But “Sari’s Mother” is a reminder that
for a character to turn a documentary into a film, his/her inner
soul has to be revealed, and that the more subtle the form of revelation the more convincing–gestures, facial expressions, whispers. It is also a reminder that art is a matter of discipline as well as passion–you carve the shape down to the barest minimum. I can’t wait to see Longley’s “Iraq in Fragments”.

Ondes de Choc / Shock Waves

This is a partly bilingual post. Texte français en italiques.

Recently I had the opportunity to see, Shock Waves, an excellent doc on the struggle for democracy and accountability in Congo. This film was made by my former colleague at Radio-Canada television Hélène Magny and her husband Pierre Mignault, and produced by Nathalie Barton of InformAction in Montreal. It just won the Detroit Doc’s Festival award for “the documentary the most likely to change the world. ” At the heart of the film: Congo’s first truly national radio network, Radio Okapi. By covering the courageous forays of its journalists into different regions, the filmmakers explore country’s problems and attempts to address them.

Hélène Magny and Pierre Mignault.

You can find all the information about the film in english on the producer’s web site.

J’ai récemment eu l’occasion de voir l’excellent documentaire Ondes de Choc sur la lutte pour la démocratie au Congo. Réalisé par mon ancienne collègue Hèlène Magny et son mari Pierre Mignault, le film est produit par Nathalie Barton à Informaction à Montréal. Au coeur du film, la première chaîne de radio nationale du Congo. Les déplacements et reportages de ses courageux journalistes permettent aux cinéastes de faire le tour des problèmes du pays et des efforts de démocratisation. Le film vient de gagner un prix à Détroit.

Why is it important to understand the present situation in the Congo ? You might want to read Jooneed Khan’s article in La Presse Nov 1st, where he argues that that country is the locus of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Also, describing a trip up the Congo river to Kisangani (remember Heart of Darkness ?) there’s an excellent article in the latest issue of Harper’s by Bryan Mealer. He is about to publish a book on the Congo, and claims 4 million people were killed there from 1996 to 2003.

This coming saturday night at 22.30 this film will be broadcast in Radio-Canada’s new documentary time slot, Zone Doc. This slot will on occasion make room for films longer than the usual 52 minutes, and will sometimes feature an interview with the filmmakers, as will be the case this saturday. All this is good news.

J’ai demandé à Hélène comment elle et Pierre ont eu l’idée pour le film. Sa réponse:

“En 2003 et 2004, j’ai été appelée à travailler sept mois comme rédactrice en chef régionale de radio Okapi à Kisangani et à Goma. Pierre a aussi travaillé deux mois et demi en 2005 à Goma. Après avoir constaté sur le terrain l’impact phénoménal de cette radio sur la démocratisation du Congo et sur la liberté d’expression, nous avons décidé d’en faire un film en 2006 en mettant en lumière le courage héroïque de ses journalistes. “

Quelle est la plus grande difficulté que vous avez rencontre ?

“Nous voulions faire un film sur le Congo à travers le travail de radio Okapi en suivant sur le terrain des journalistes en reportage dans trois régions du pays. Il nous est apparu fondamental de révéler le principal problème vécu quotidiennement par la population congolaise: le banditisme érigé en système au sein des forces armées qui pillent et violent en toute impunité et qu’on surnomme “tracasseries”. Tout au long du fleuve Congo, les militaires érigent des barrières, taxent ceux qui passent, les torturent s’ils n’ont pas de quoi payer, assujettissent les femmes à des abus sexuels. Au cours d’un reportage avec le journaliste André Kitenge sur le fleuve, nous avons été confrontés à ce phénomène. Nous avons donc décidé de filmer la situation clandestinement. Mais l’utilisation d’une caméra cachée au Congo, si elle est découverte, peut entraîner de graves conséquences. Complètement isolés en pleine brousse, nous avons eu de la chance.”

I asked Hélène how she and Pierre had the idea for the film. She says:

“In 2003 and 2004 I was asked to work for seven months as regional chef editor for Okapi radio in Kisangani and at Goma. Pierre also worked in 2005 for two and half months in Goma.

While working we witnessed the phenomenal impact that this radio station had on the democratization of the Congo and also on freedom of speech – so we decided in 2006 to throw the light on the heroic bravery of these radio journalists.”

What was the biggest difficulty that you encountered?

“We wanted to make a film on the Congo through the work of Radio Okapi by following the journalists on the job in three regions of the country as it seemed fundamentally important to reveal the main daily problem experienced by the Congolese people which is: banditry –a central system – set up by the armed forces who pillage and rape with impunity and nicknamed the Harassers.

All along the banks of the Congo the Harassers build blockades to tax people who want to pass, and torture those who refuse to pay, and subject the women to sexual abuse.

While covering a story with the journalist, Andre Kitenge, we were confronted by this phenomena and therefore decided to film the situation clandestinely – yet the use of a hidden camera, if discovered, can bring about some serious consequences. As we were completely isolated in the middle of nowhere, in the bush, we had the chance to film.”

( Merci à Jeannette Pope pour la traduction.)

Filming the Raging Grannies 20th anniversary in Victoria

Just returned from Victoria, B.C. where I filmed the 20th anniversary celebration of the Raging Grannies. Victoria is where it all started, and many of the formidable women who took the initiative for this movement are still active – a little frail some of them, but very motivated, creative and busy !

The Raging Grannies use humor and particularly satire to promote peace, social justice, and environmental protection. Street theatre has become their modus operandi, and they add a colorful touch to many rallies and demonstrations.

The Victoria Grannies initiated many of the daring stunts that have been picked up by other “gaggles’ as their movement spread across the country and then to the U.S., paddling canoes our to military ships and “visiting’ army recruiting stations. But this time in Victoria it was their own celebration, held in a church hall. And here they are, singing one of their signature songs:

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I went to Victoria because I didn’t want to miss the event, but I took advantage of the trip to interview some of the founding grannies. Here is Fran Thoburn, speaking about the spread of the movement.

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A terrific team. I have been working on this film for almost three years with producer Ian Boyd of Island Filmworks in Montreal. I wrote the treatment together with Carole Roy, author of a book on the Grannies, and Peter Haynes. The cinematographer is Martin Duckworth, and Terre Nash will edit the film.

Although we have a considerable track record as filmmakers, we have had a very difficult time raising money for this film. It’s a movie about how elderly women in society don’t have much of a voice, and how the Grannies have found a way to make themselves heard. It’s about elderly citizens who find the energy to share their wisdom and try to have an impact. It’s about a Canadian movement which has become international. But all the major English-language broadcasters have turned us down. ( We do have an agreement in principle with a French-language broadcaster, and we did receive some scriptwriting money from SODEC, our provincial funding agency. )

Needless to say, we don’t take no for an answer. Thanks to the generosity of our crew members we have already covered some important events. Stay tuned…

Betty Brightwell is one of the founding members still active in the Victoria ‘gaggle.’

And here I am with the other founding member who is still active in the group, Fran Thoburn.

Links:

The film’s website

The Victoria Raging Grannies

Carole Roy’s web site.