Lavita Che Vorrei

Nairobi is enjoying a feast of European films at the annual European Film Festival (EFF) that took off on May 11, 2005.

Not even the failure of Raphael Tuju, the information and communications minister who was to have presided over the opening, to show up without explanation forcing the event to begin half an hour later, has dampened the spirit of film lovers who throng the auditorium of the Alliance Francaise every evening (17.30 and 19.30 hours during week days and 15.00, 17.30, and 19.30 on week ends) for entertainment. Entry fee to each of the 34 shows is a modest Sh30 (about US$0.375) or Sh200 (US$2.5) to all the shows (seasonal ticket). A ticket at a commercial film theatre in Nairobi is usually US$2.5 per head on average. The opening film was Wondrous Oblivion, a UK production. Although the film revolves around cricket, it has proved to be as popular as Germany’s Luther, and France’s Les Choristes that were full house events. Over the weekend, few people leave the auditorium preferring to watch one film after another.

Although in its 14th year, analysts say the European event appears not to have played any catalytic role that would have helped Kenya in developing her own film sector.

Dr Derek Fee (Charge d’Affaires of the European Commission in Kenya), Tanya Van Gool (ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) and Jean-Michel Frachet (director of Alliance Francaise) failed to explain the achievements of the EFF to the local film sector at a pre-festival press conference on May 4, 2005. One would have hoped to see many more Kenyans streaming to film theatres, making many films, holding film festivals or studying film to show that the 13 years of the EFF have helped inculcate in Kenyans a love for film. This is hardly the case. Although filmmakers in countries like Angola, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Nigeria have benefited from the 6 million Euro Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) film fund of the European Union, no Kenyan has received any funds and one wonders why this is so when the European Union is represented in Kenya where it hosts an annual European Film Festival.

Dr Fee says the second round of ACP funding is to the tune of 6.5 million Euros and appeals to Kenyans to apply for it. It is unclear why Kenya, that makes one feature film every decade on average, is unable to access the ACP funds. So far the French Embassy in Kenya—through Alliance Francaise—funds two annual festivals in Nairobi: Images from France and African Cine Week of Nairobi; and a weekly screening of films every Monday. The EFF is another initiative coordinated by the French. But why cannot these festivals be consolidated into an annual international film festivals as happened in Zimbabwe some time back? Such a festival would be much more meaningful and could whet the appetite of Kenyans to make films as is currently happening at Zimbabwe International Film Festival’s short film project.

Although the 14th EFF has three new entrants—Czech Republic, Poland, Turkey—this year, it is a much trimmer exercise in the sense that it is running for just half the time (15 days instead of 28) and screening half as many films (34 instead of 52) usually showcased during this festival that has become an important entry in the calendar of performing and visual arts in Nairobi. Another departure from tradition is that the 14th EFF has been brought forward five months. Although Van Gool, Dr Derek Fee, and Frachet told journalists at a pre-festival press conference that the holding of the festival in May is meant to mark the historic 10-nation (Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovak republic, Slovenia) joining of the European Union on May 1, 2004 and the celebration of Europe Day on May 9, arts and culture pundits contend the action is aimed at freeing 'the usually congested arts and culture calendar during the last quarter of the year' besides setting the auditorium at the Alliance Francaise—where the screening takes place—free for more cultural activities.

Each participating country has provided only one film instead of the usual two save for Belgium that has two films to cater for linguistic differences; one film is in Dutch (Verder dan de Man, Sea of silence) and another in French (Le fils, The son). Asked for the uniqueness of the EFF, Mrs van Gool said it "offers refreshing content and imagery from Europe's diverse cultures and cinematographic industries, distinctly different from the commercial cinema products that the Kenyan public is exposed to throughout the year."

On his part, Dr Fee said, "Kenyan film lovers and film professionals will derive both entertainment, educational and professional value from the variety of approaches, standards and themes that are portrayed through this year's selection of 17 recent European releases from 16 countries." EFF, Dr Fee argued, aims to showcase the diversity of European cinema and provides a broad perspective of Europe’s rich cultural heritage. What it does not do, he said, is perpetuate European cultural imperialism in Kenya. EFF is certainly a good opportunity to view European films that Kenyans would normally not watch in the Hollywood and Bollywood-dominated commercial theatres.

Another plus for the 14th EFF is that newer (2004) films are being screened to the public for almost free.

Shouf Shouf Habibi

Although the lineup of films is as interesting as it is informative and entertaining, some of the films Kenyans are likely to find particularly relevant to their lives will be the German epic, Luther (on how Martin Luther, a humble monk, challenged the authoritarianism of the Roman Catholic Church, translated the Bible into German making it accessible to the man and woman on the street, and ushered in Church Reformation), and the comedy Shouf Shouf Habibi (hush hush baby) of The Netherlands that tackles issues like culture, race and growing up in foreign lands. Kenyan audiences are also likely to feel privileged watching not only recent (2004) films but also award-winning productions. Uzak (Distant) of Turkey (winner of the 'Grand Prix du Jury' and 'Best Actor' at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival) that deals with rural-urban migration in search of better economic prospects, France's musical drama, Les Choristes (2005 nominee for Best Foreign Film Academy Award), Denmark's psychological romantic drama Reconstruction (winner of 'Camera d'Or' at 2003 Cannes Film Festival), Czech Republic's 2003 Best Foreign Language Oscar-nominee, Zelary that delves into the life of an apparently comfortable urban woman forced by circumstances to abandon her partner for a repulsive rural man), and Finland's Dog nail clipper (winner of the Audience Award at the 17th Nordic Film Festival) that revolves around a World War II survivor bent on clipping the nails of a dog are likely to ring a familiar note to the audience.

Austria's comedy Poppitz (on family, work and vacation), Belgium's dramas Verda dan de man (on what happens when parents are too busy for their children) and Le fils (on mystery leading to stalking), Italy's La vita che vorrei (The life I want), Poland's drama Zerwany (Torn), and dramas Cinco dias, cinco noites of Portugal and De osylinge (Inivible) of Sweden are other films lined up for screening. Les Choristes stands out in the sense that it deals with the power of music—not brute force—in helping transform troubled people's lives. Switzerland's Des epaules solides (strong shoulders) is yet another film that is likely to find relevance among adolescents and gender conscious people. Driven by the desire to excel in everything, a young woman finds her own gender not challenging enough and so she sets her mind on triumphing over the opposite sex without realising the severe consequences such action could have on her physical and emotional wellbeing

All the films are either in English or with English sub-titles. Jean-Michel Frachet says, “The European Film Festival is organised in the framework of cultural co-operation between Kenya and the European missions present in Nairobi.” The screening runs May 12 through 28.

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