Many African filmmakers hope to release their films in Europe or the US. However, at the recent Durban FilmMart, French screen writer, teacher and script developer Jacques Akchoti from the European Audio Visual Entrepreneurs (EAVE) urged writers to focus on their local audiences.
“In terms of writing, global markets don’t exist. You can’t start off writing a story thinking it’s global,’ noted Jacques Akchoti, who recently worked on the acclaimed French-Chadian co-production A Screaming Man by Haroun Mahamat Saleh, and has collaborated with critically acclaimed directors such as Robert Bresson and Lars von Trier.
“The potential market for African films in Europe is very small, it’s a niche market,’ said Akchoti. “I say forget about European co-production. You can’t rely on Europeans because they are always changing their mood. Your problem here is that you first have to fight your own system and get more local support and money into filmmaking.’
Financial systems
He explained that, to understand filmmaking, you have to understand the financial systems behind it. “France has a cultural approach to filmmaking, which means that even if the financial system is losing money, it’s not a problem as long as it is maintaining jobs and maintaining culture.’
According to Akchoti, France supports films from other countries around the world because they think cultural diversity is important. “However, they have specific ideas of what those films should be – they should either advance cinematic culture or portray a certain political point of view. There will always be a focus on countries where there are political things happening that we’re interested in. For example, the past few years Iranian films have been big in France.
“However, we’re also interested in films with a very original approach to filmmaking and that use the language of film in an inventive way.’
He noted that an understanding of why you’re making a film and who your audience is, is fundamental. “Each filmmaker I talk to in South Africa wants to make films for Hollywood and thinks going to Hollywood means success.
However, the Hollywood system works with the main goal of making money because it is built on private money, not public money. Even if a film is good or groundbreaking, that is a bonus, but it is not the main purpose of the film.’
“When you write a film, ask yourself in which market it will fit and what its potential is. That should determine your budget. You have to know who you are addressing,’ said Akchoti.
SA industry
“As a writer I consider it my responsibility to write stories that are interesting to those around me. South Africa has a potentially big audience, but it needs to be developed. The question in South Africa is: how do we build an industry?’
Akchoti explained that, first and foremost, filmmakers need to understand their local markets and know what their audiences like and need. “It’s not about ideas, it’s about characters. To get local people into cinemas, you have to tell interesting stories with relatable characters. I’m not saying you have to only make commercial films, but you have to understand your audience.
“Everyone I meet seems to want to make a thriller, but it doesn’t work, because it’s really an American genre. If French people are acting like Americans, I don’t believe it and I’d rather just watch a Hollywood thriller. You can’t make up something that doesn’t exist – like a fat policeman in France – because people won’t believe it.
“In France we just don’t have that same culture of being scared, our films are about who is sleeping with who – that’s our culture, but we address a lot of serious issues through that. In the same way, all Scandinavian films are about depression in a dark place.’
South Africa’s niche, Akchoti believes, is township films. “It’s an interesting social place, and it encompasses what the African story is about. When you see a local film you want to recognise yourself and recognise your reality. I can’t relate to an issue, I can relate to a person. The only global rule is being human.’
Entertaining
According to Akchoti, there are misconceptions about the responsibility of a writer. “The film business is about entertaining people. What you have to understand is that your job is not being an intellectual, a journalist or a philosopher, but being an entertainer.
“Filmmakers like making art house movies, but the reality is that the most successful films in almost every country are comedies – including the Leon Schuster films in South Africa. However, being an entertainer does not mean being stupid.’
To get an audience interested, he believes the focus should be on emotional involvement, not on a message. “People don’t want to be lectured; telling stories is about telling the audience how a group of people of a certain place or culture go about life, and getting them emotionally involved in these people. It’s not an intellectual approach, it’s understanding who your characters are and how they approach life.’
He emphasised that the world doesn’t expect South Africans to make Hollywood films. “If South African financiers expect to be making big bucks they should go and invest in Hollywood films, not local films. You have to get an understanding of the South African system and its limitations.
“The future of South African film is here in South Africa, not in Hollywood or Europe.’
By Linda Loubser
screen africa magazine – october 2012
