South African writer and director Jahmil XT Qubeka’s has described his latest film Of Good Report as “Red Riding Hood from the wolf’s perspective’. Following the “banning’ of the movie at the opening night of the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), Of Good Report has subsequently screened in theatres across South Africa, was officially selected for the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and has been picked up for international distribution. Never shying away from controversy, this is Qubeka’s third film after the provocative and celebrated features uMalusi and A Small Town Called Descent.
WHAT TRULY INSPIRES YOU?
Life inspires me, the genesis of humanity in this realm of forms is what I am all about. What lies beneath the surface, the face behind the many masks we wear. Where we come from, why we are here and where we are going.
WHEN DID YOU KNOW YOU WANTED TO BE A FILMMAKER AND HOW DID THAT COME ABOUT?
When I look back I now realise that I have always been a filmmaker. When I play out my childhood in my head I distinctly remember how I was always full of stories.
A Burt Reynolds film in which he played a stuntman on a movie set gave me my first glimpse of the world behind the scenes. Then I really became aware of the director’s role when I watched an old flick in which Peter O’ Toole played a deranged filmmaker who drove his cast to the edge. Even though he was totally nuts, I understood him, I knew what he was all about.
When I was 11 I watched an insert on Carte Blanche which was a video diary that Mel Gibson made during the making of Franco Zifferelli’s Hamlet. In it he shared his inner most fears about acting. That’s when I knew who and what I was. Nothing was going to stop me from reaching my dreams…
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT OF GOOD REPORT’S SCREENING AT TIFF?
I have always coveted being selected for this festival. Having just returned from Toronto I really feel like I have found a festival home for my work. Each of our three screenings was a full house and that meant everything to me.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF AS A DIRECTOR?
I would describe myself as being collaborative yet at the same time I have a very clear vision of what I want. I respect everyone who I work with but get on my bad side and I will let you know it. If I am unhappy with something I will communicate it to you.
WHAT ARE YOUR THREE TOP FILMS OF ALL TIME AND WHY?
My top 10 movies change all of the time. Right now, I would say, Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane tops my list. It’s such a timeless and ground-breaking piece of filmmaking.
Every young boy at heart should see Where the Wild Things Are by Spike Jones. I can’t think of a movie that captures the spirit of childhood like this film does.
A very recent addition to this list is Ben Wheatley’s A Field in England. I just saw it at TIFF, it is a bizarre and extraordinarily cool piece of filmmaking.
WHICH PROJECTS ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING ON?
I have 19 pictures on my development slate. I hope to make at least 50 pictures before I die, that is my goal in life. I want to be as prolific as the great directors of Hollywood’s bygone era who churned out quality film after quality film.
I tip my hat to masters such as Vincent Minnelli, Elia Kazan, John Ford and Al Hitchcock. The list goes on…
WHAT DO YOU KNOW NOW THAT YOU WISH YOU’D KNOWN WHEN YOU STARTED OUT AS A DIRECTOR?
Two things spring to mind. That it’s just making films, it’s not the be all and end all of who I am.
And that casting is more than half of a director’s job. You cast right and you are halfway there.
HOW DID YOU FEEL WHEN OF GOOD REPORT WAS ESSENTIALLY “BANNED’ AS THE OPENING NIGHT FILM OF DIFF?
I felt numb and embarrassed for my country. I always knew that I would be exonerated and that everyone would be asking why this happened in the first place.
HOW DO YOU FEEL NOW THAT OF GOOD REPORT HAS BEEN RELEASED AND HAS RECEIVED SUCH POSITIVE FEEDBACK?
As a filmmaker all you want is for your work to be seen and to be engaged with. The banning briefly took that away from me. That is why I responded in the manner I did, for a moment my voice was silenced and my only response was to fight back. I am still fighting, if anything to ensure that such an absurd episode never happens again in the country I was born in.
WHAT WERE YOUR MAIN INTENTIONS WHEN MAKING OF GOOD REPORT AND THE MESSAGE YOU WANTED TO CONVEY WITH THE FILM?
I set out to explore the male psyche and why we are so angry, either consciously or not, at women. I wanted to unpack the misogyny that is prevalent in man, not just at home, but all across the planet. It needed to be unpacked in an honest and visceral manner. In cloaking this theme in a serial killer origins story I hoped to achieve it without preaching to my audience. I reckon I have succeeded.
DO YOU HAVE ANY MENTORS IN THE LOCAL INDUSTRY AND WHY?
Everyone is my mentor. I try to learn from each person I encounter. In regards to the technical elements of the craft my “Yoda’ is filmmaker and photographer Daron Chatz. He is a generous and selfless mensch who took the time to teach a young, wet-behind-the-ears dreamer everything he knows. I would go to war if that dude asked me to.
HOW DO YOU CHILL OUT?
I smoke pot and play FIFA on the PlayStation. I also run a lot and a good gym session puts my mind at ease.
IF YOUR LIFE HAD A SOUNDTRACK WHAT SONGS WOULD BE ON IT?
Kanye West’s New God Flow, The Eagles’ Hotel California and Marvin Gaye’s I Want You. Those tracks, among many others, keep me dreaming…
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR CAREER HIGHLIGHT?
Every time I shout: “That’s a wrap!’
