Prior to the screening of director Eystein Young Dingha’s « The Planter’s Plantation » in the framework of Ecrans Noirs film festival 2022 edition . Ayila Media met with actress Nimo Loveline who’s vibrant performance in the film is remarquable for the energy and strength she gives to Enanga, her character. The intriguing historical movie set in the 1940s and 1960s hosts a number of talented and convincing actresses like Syriette Che, Lina Ike and of course Nimo Loveline whom we met on the 4th of October 2022 for a conversation about her participation to the film.
AYILA : Hello Loveline, We are glad to have you for Ayila Media.
NIMO LOVELINE: Hello, the pleasure is mine.
Ayila: We just watched « The Planter’s Plantation » with your energetic and strong performance. Was this your first film project?
N.L.: No, I have had film projects before this. I played a role in The Fisherman’s Diary, Big Eka. I also played a minor role in Nkanya Nkwai‘s Saving Mbango, as well as in Thrill, and a couple of other movies, and also in the movie 4th Generation by Cosson Chinepoh, I played a Major role there too. And before that, I had been training and practicing right from Bamenda with my friends, colleagues, from a practicing house, we used to call ourselves Rufina’s House, which is where I acquired most of my acting skills.
Ayila: Is it a group for actors training?
N.L.: Yes, the group was started by Tsi Conrad, he envisioned training actors to do better, to think different when interpreting characters, even writers to think different when writing as well as just being unique in everything we do and always look at things not from the straight ruler but all the other bends beneath and above.
Ayila: Beautiful. So Enanga is your second big role. How did you make it to the cast?
N.L.: (Gentle laugh) I never saw myself being part of this production, talk less being the lead. There was an audition in Limbe, Tiko, Bamenda and Douala, they had couple of auditions. I went to the one in Tiko. There, the director told me to do something, I did it, then he told me he was going come back to me. He called me again, gave me different things to do on different days after that particular audition. I didn’t know why he was doing that, but during the audition process, one day he just told me hey, you are playing Enanga.
Ayila: How did you receive this news?
N.M.: (Smiling) I was scared, I was terrified, what are you talking about?! I did not know what it meant to play Enanga, I did not know who Enanga was. Then when he sent me the script, I flipped out, what are you talking about?! This was not possible! It scared me because her strength is something I wish really could say at that time I knew how to have, but interpreting the character I understand how to have her strength now.
Ayila: Okay, in the movie we can really see the strength you are talking of, so how did you develop it, was it a personal work of concentration or did it come after conversations with the director?
« I had to make physical changes to my body »
N.L.: The director played a great role in explaining to me who this girl is, so because of what he explained to me about her, I had to make physical changes to my body, I had to change my size, change the way I walk, I was walking different for months, I started running long distances every morning, so because of what he told me about this character, I prepared my mind physically, prepared my strength, everything. And also I prepared myself to the script, to what I am going to do there, but the truth is… I can not lie to you, ninety percent of what I did playing Enanga was not planned before going to set. I had a different imagination of what it was going to be but every time I got on set and met my co characters, I started living that life. When they said action, Enanga was born.
« Today I believe I can be called for the next Black Panther »
Ayila: Do you think that this role has brought something different to your career so far? it’s true the film is just starting its festival journey, but do you feel there’s a difference compared to the other projects you’ve worked on?
N.L.: (laughing) A lot, people know me, i’m having an interview, before this I’m not sure you’ll be interviewing me for anything. Besides the media attention it has given me so far I think that this has given me a new perspective on how to interpret roles as well, yes, because before playing this role, I had been playing other characters, people knew me as a good actress, people always told me, oh you are a good actress, but I did not know or master the strength I have until after this film. So today I believe I can be called for the next Black Panther, I’m waiting.
Ayila: Meaning the role enabled you to be more confident about your acting capacities?
N.L.: Yes, more confident in my acting, more confident in what i am capable of and also ( amused) more confident that people can pay attention to me.
Ayila: Coming to the story, the film is set in 1961 and farther in 1940, how did you embrace this? was it easy living in this time or did you have difficulties adapting to the era of the film?
« Cameroon has not had the culture of documenting social life in the previous decades »
N.L.: That’s a very amazing question. I did a lot of research and watched a lot of videos. I started watching videos that were done during that time. It was quite difficult given we are in Cameroon, and that Cameroon has not had the culture of documenting social life in the previous decades. But with the few I could get; pictures, images, mannerism, I read dutifully, to understand that era. If someone has to play a 2022 or 2020 girl in 2050, they will have so much audiovisual material to work with, but that I didn’t have, so I turned to books and literature to understand the mind set of people in that time. That is one of the things I did to prepared myself before going on set. It helped me understand what it meant to be a girl in 1961.
Ayila: How do you feel about the « Planter’s Plantation » story? The relation to Cameroon’s history and independence, the tribute to the federation that the country was before. How was it to work on a historical project?
N.L.: I have always been very interested in history and the political sphere, it intrigues me, so the story being set in that context was was very interesting. Being part of such a historical and monumental movie means a lot to me. It’s not a story that only Cameroonians can relate to, it’s a story that Africa and the world will relate to. There is something there for everybody in the world to look and be enlightened. The film raises questions about where we have been, where are we going to , what struggles we have been through and how to face them if they come back. This is all important because we are creating history today that people in future will look at and say: oh these people did this, how is it affecting us now. So being part of this means a lot to me.
Ayila : How was the ambiance on set? was it difficult? funny?
N.L.: I would say the set was like that family which has come together and is ready to battle the world, that’s how I will put it. I have not seen a group of young people put themselves together fighting towards a common goal. Every day picking up each other at every point. There is a day that maybe we wake up and somebody is not feeling good, maybe from the technical department, another person just swipes in to help them that day. It was a beautiful and an amazing experience. (Very joyful) Besides the movie we did, the movie behind the scenes was the best part of it and we were all in our character, which was wonderful. It was a truly amazing experience having us play like that. One of the greatest I have had till now.
Ayila: And we believe this is just the beginning, the film is at Ecrans Noirs 2022 . You lust feel encouraged to be here with a film you got so much invested in?
N.L.: Indeed, I’m so enthusiastic, I’m almost jumping, it’s overwhelming. Festivals are the places to come, they are filmmakers’ paradise. I am having so much fun seeing a director on my left, a writer on my right, another actor on my left. It’s an amazing experience just having these people intertwined, having similar things we talk about. We can relate to each other’s experiences and so far the festival has been fantastic. We are taken cared of too, so it’s good.
Ayila: We are happy you love your time at Ecrans Noirs and wish you and « The Planter’s Plantation » a brilliant journey. Thanks once more for accepting our invitation.
N.L.: Thanks for inviting me.
Interview conducted by Stella Tchuisse
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