Mobolaji Adeolu, a 26-year-old filmmaker from Lagos, Nigeria, and 21-year-old
Willem van den Heever from Pretoria, South Africa recently attended the 2015
Sundance Film Festival, which ran from 22 January to 1 February in the US state of
Utah.
Their films A Will of Iron (Adeolu) and Dropping In (van den Heever) were two of
five winning shorts selected to appear as part of an initiative by the Sundance
Institute and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. By telling inspirational stories
related to overcoming poverty and hunger the project aims to create global
awareness and stimulate constructive conversations around these issues.
“I believe it won the challenge due to the main character’s positive energy and how
he was able to create a solution by overcoming his challenges of homelessness and
poverty. This was part of the theme for the short film challenge,’ remarks Adeolu.
This is the second film from Adelou, whose first film Hustle on a Mile was a winner
in the first edition of the Afrinolly short film competition in the Documentary
category. Similarly, van den Heever’s first short film Coffee premiered at the 2014
National Film Festival for Talented Youth in Seattle, USA and won the Best New
Talent award.
A Will of Iron is an eight-minute documentary which tells the story of a homeless
blacksmith living with his wife and child under the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos,
Nigeria – the longest bridge in Africa. Adelou says he was inspired by main
character Isaac who shows daily determination and optimism despite his living
environment.
“It is a very inspiring story of resilience in relation to the human spirit, a journey
into the world of a man who is so inspired even in the face of dire circumstances,
creating imaginative solutions to overcome his challenges.’
Van den Heever’s film Dropping In is inspired by a true story and features a
teenage boy living on the streets who is presented with a world of possibilities when
a skate park owner introduces him to skateboarding culture. “Not only does it
showcase South Africa and our different cultures in a new perspective, but it also
shows how something as small and simple as skateboarding can change one
person’s life, and how differently one’s life can change when they focus their energy
on their dreams and passions,’ comments van den Heever.
The other Short Film Challenge winners, which were selected from 1 387
submissions from 89 countries, were: Man in the Maze (USA) by Phil Buccellato and
Jesse Ash, Isabelle’s Garden (USA) by Jeffrey Palmer and 175 Grams (India) by
Bharat Mirle.
Both filmmakers say that attending the festival and experiencing audience reactions
to their films was a rewarding and valuable experience. “It was a great and a
somewhat surreal feeling,’ says Van den Heever. “I never would have thought as a
kid that at the age of 21, I would have my film premiere at Sundance. But I couldn’t
be more grateful for the opportunity and experience. I also now know I’ve got a few
eyes on me, which only motivates me more.’
– Carly Barnes
