In the biblical book of Genesis, God creates Adam and sometime later produces Eve from his side. But according to Jewish folklore, Adam’s first wife was not Eve but a character named Lilith who was made from “filth and sediment, instead of pure dust”. This was the inspiration behind the short film Lilith Genesis One, directed by André Coetzee and produced by Anri Coetzee.
The concept was originally pitched as an entry to the PPC Imagination Awards, an art and design competition which challenges emerging talent to create artworks through the medium of concrete. The Film category, which was introduced in 2014, requires entrants to pitch their concepts to a panel of judges and if selected are given a R35 000 budget to produce their films. In 2013 Anri and André, who had just finished studying Drama and Film at the University of Pretoria together, saw the competition as an opportunity to take on a new and interesting challenge. Lilith Genesis One went on to win the top prize in the PPC Imagination Award Film category in 2015, which earned them a prize of R50 000. The film was also selected to screen at the Phoenix Film Festival in Melbourne as well as the Tanzrauschen International Dance on Screen Festival in Germany.
Raw quality
Without dialogue, and incorporating elements of dance and physicality, the narrative of the film focuses on a single event in Lilith’s universe: the creation of Adam and ultimately his release into Eden. André explains: “In the film Lilith exists in a universe of cement and brick, of which she is a part and from which she creates. She spends her infinite time alone sculpting figures and searching for a partner within her material and herself.” The roles of Lilith and Adam are performed by Nicola Haskins and Gopala Davies respectively.
Wanting to steer away from choreographed dance, the performers were given creative freedom to express themselves spontaneously through unrehearsed movement. Anri guided Haskins and Davies in ‘structured improvisation’ while communicating the style or feeling envisioned for each story segment. “We were looking for versatile performers in both the field of acting and physical theatre who were willing to bare it all for the film. They had to be comfortable with their naked bodies being covered in clay and body paint, while engaging in structured improvisation,” says André.
Cinematic cement
It was important to André and Anri that the content and cinematic techniques in the film complemented one another. Anri had completed an honours dissertation on Sergei Eisenstein’s theory of intellectual montage, a technique which edits together two or more images to portray complex ideas, and this became a source of inspiration for the delivery of Lilith Genesis One. “We approached the camera work and editing as a sort of choreography; we felt it needed a certain structure that informed and harmonised alongside the narrative and emotion of the characters. We wanted to make a film where the audience felt they could only take a breath once the film was over. This is why we made use of frequent rapid cuts, extremely close and wide shots and camera movements that complement the movements of the performers,” André explains.
Lilith Genesis One was filmed over one day in December 2014 at The Sheds in Pretoria. The film was shot using a Sony A7 for practical reasons: it can be mounted on a DJI Ronin, provides continuous focus, contains a mirrorless sensor with good lowlight capabilities and can shoot in APS-C mode.
Smooth bonds
Finding the right team to work on the project was the most challenging aspect of the production for Anri and André. “You have to work with people who share your vision, and who are capable in their respective fields. Once we found all the right collaborators on the film, everything went smoothly,” remarks André. “We were only a handful working on the project, thus everyone involved was essential to the completion and the success of the project.”
The team included visual artist Corné Joubert, who crafted the unique sculptures featured in the film. Hannes Greyling was responsible for the make-up design and application; Michael Wright composed and recorded the original score after being briefed on a general feeling of the music by Anri and André, and the emotions they wanted the film to evoke. The film was lensed by Leslie van Wyk and Timo Crane was the post-production producer. Brandon Engelbrecht helped with the conceptualising of the film and also worked as the production assistant. Wessel van Huysteen guided the production team and, in addition to directing, André also edited and executed some of the camera work.
“It is difficult to imagine what a person will take from the film. All we can hope is for it to be an experience or to spark discourse,” concludes André.
