Interview : African directors need to put a little madness in their works – Berenger Mendjiengoué

Ayila : You are the promoter of the concept “Viens Regarder Tes Films en Salle de Cinéma” (Come and Watch Your Films in Cinema), how was this project born and for how long has it existed  ?

Berenger Mendjiengoué : Viens Regarder Tes Films en Salle is an initiative that has been around for a year now, it is no longer a project because it has already materialized. It’s been a year since we started the activities in the field, we have already trained interns and all that remains to be done is to show movies.

Ayila : You plan to broadcast African films in French theaters. Showing films in cinemas is never easy, what are the challenges you face in showing African films in French cinemas? ?

B.M. : I think the challenges are on three levels. The first level of challenge concerns African producers. Very often there is a lack of confidence. When you call an African producer to tell him that you are showing films in theaters in France, he immediately becomes cautious. This is explained by the fear they have of being swindled because many have lived through truly unfortunate situations. There is also a cost issue because the producer wants to know what he is going to earn. So we have to convince these producers who are sometimes resentful.

The most difficult thing is to create this link between cinematographic works and these different African publics in theaters.

Ayila : You talk about producers’ reluctance to give away their films, what mechanisms do you use to convince them ?

B.M. : The mechanisms for producers to trust us will be seen in the long term, there is a proverb that says we see the mason against the wall. The more we go to meet producers, in festivals… the more producers will be able to trust us. Also we want to evolve with production companies so if we take someone’s film and it goes well, they can trust us for their next films. Also, the echoes of the work that we will have done with certain films, will surely convince other producers.

Ayila : Who is your primary target, the European public or Africans in the diaspora ?

B.M. : Regarding the public, our core target is first of all the African public; nevertheless our screenings are not only dedicated to the African public. The core target where we focus our energies is the African public. All of this has a major stake, because you have to have a core target, if your core target is a european audience in France and you’re going to look for an African film, it’s not the same process. Africans are generally fond of so-called popular and commercial cinema, which is not always the case for european audiences. So we are focusing more on African spectators, now there may be europeans who will come and join them. So there is a communication to bring people in the theaters, not just Africans

Ayila : Recently you released the movie Wakimbizi, how did the process go to get to this screening?

B.M. : Wakimbizi is a film from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) which was shot near Katanga and directed by Yves Tata Hendwa. To acquire the film we first had to watch the trailer which stood out because there was action and suspense. Then we got in touch with the producer of the film. We exchanged for a long time for 5 to 6 months. During these moments of discussion, the producer’s goal was to promote his work and gain international recognition. So the screening in Paris was the preview, this film has never been shown elsewhere. During the Covid he was unable to release his film in the DRC. Moreover, we are in the process of scheduling a second screening of the film in Paris in November 2021. For this screening, we will be inviting the Congolese and African community overwhelmingly to come and watch the film. This time the screening will be free thanks to the support of certain partners, in particular the DRC embassy. We are currently working with the DRC culture ministry and the embassy to get him his visa to come here in France and to appear in some international and African media to talk about his film. On the financial side, it was more of an investment, currently in France with the Covid, people are cautious about going to cultural places because you need a health pass. So that’s a big risk we took to start the event. The major objective was not financial but more an investment objective. And the audience liked the film. So we invite African and Congolese viewers to come see the film Wakimbizi in November, this time it will be free in partnership with the DRC embassy in France.

Ayila : You also organize the Film Competition Workshop, what is it?

B.M. : It is a workshop during which representatives of all the departments of the Ile de France, receive training for 2 months in various departments (filmmaking, production, screenplay, etc.). At the end of these two intense months, the trainees must make a film to compete. The deadline for submitting the short films is November. The theme of these short films is Africa. So the interns are shooting their short films and it’s an international competition, we have candidates in Yaoundé, in Maroua. So we are going to organize an event around the screening of his films called Made in Black. This meeting will be held in December. There will be a prize for the films that the jury and the spectators have liked the most, we are in the process of forging certain partnerships with town halls. During this Made in Black event, we will be making a call for trailers for directors who would like to screen their films in France.

Ayila : What is your view of current African cinema?

At the aesthetic level, directors should put a little madness in their work.

B.M. :I think he can look from an aesthetic and semiological point of view at the level of the content of these films and the commercial valuation. In terms of content, I think that more and more on the continent we need to think a lot more about co-productions between countries. That is to say that a producer in Cameroon should not only limit himself to Cameroon, he can co-produce with the Ivory Coast, the DRC. We need an openness from the directors. It is true that there are authors who, due to funding difficulties, cannot have the loftiness of knowing that co-producers are needed. This is a bit of what Come Watch Your Films in Cinemas can be used for. At the aesthetic level, directors should put a little madness in their works. There is a Cameroonian film, Run by Rodrigue Fotso, there is  a certain madness in this film. We should try to put this madness, this desire to make people dream by our stories in the way of telling them and in the way of filming. We have to feel that the director did not just take a camera but that he goes beyond it. We need films that reflect artistic and economic issues. I will end by saying that the spectators has an important role to play because they are the one who must decide to consume African works, whether in Africa or in the West; this is what will contribute to the socio-economic development of the continent.

Ayila : What is your current news and what are the upcoming projects?

B.M. : The closest project is the second screening of the film Wakimbizi (wakimbizi is a word in Swahili which means refugees), then we are going to screen a Cameroonian film in December A Chacun Sa Coupe, films on which we have participated in the production. Also in December we will be launching the Made In Black cinematographic meeting. This meeting will be a moment during which the films produced during the film competition workshop will be screened. We will also be issuing a call for trailers and selected trailers will be eligible for either single screening or distribution to multiple theaters.

Interview over the phone by Rostand Wandja