Last Saturday my children and I watched the latest wave
of locally made short films. All the entries in
school category of the annual Kula Film Awards were broadcast on
television and as a film-maker of sorts and a parent to budding filmmakers, I
gathered the children to view and reflect on the 19 productions by our secondary schools.
As someone who once won an international award with a
90-second short film shot with a basic camcorder, I am an ardent supporter of
locally produced films, especially those with strong messages. While the
secondary school category films were amateur productions (with the exception of
the post-production provided by the local production houses), I could see much
promise in the work of the young men and women who made the short films. With
phones now equipped with video recording facilities and simple video editing
software available, it is becoming easier for our youth to use the medium of
video to express themselves. It is something my nearly 8-year old son is doing.
A number of the films entered in the schools’ category
have a thriller or horror theme. While the general plot may be not original, I
found the fact that the student were willing to experiment with stories that
require creative filming and editing to be quite encouraging.
However, I often wonder what will happen post-Kula Film
Awards. Perhaps local television stations, Film Fiji and the Fiji Media
Industry Development Authority would be interested in providing internships,
sponsorship or even simply airtime for budding video/tv/film-makers to showcase
their craft. Fiji National University film/tv production students as well as
film-makers from the University of the South Pacific also entered the Kula Film
Awards, in the open category.
Later during a much-deferred visit to the barbershop, we
continued viewing the Kula Film entries on the small television provided by the
barber for waiting customers. Our little family discussion and comments on the
films drew the attention of the other customers, who also began to watch. Their
reactions to what they saw, was evidence of the impact the stories of our youth
had.
Rape in both urban and rural communities, gang-rape,
defilement, abduction, pornography, teen prostitution, child abuse, child
neglect, child labour, teen suicide, bullying, lack of self-worth, peer
pressure and domestic violence feature prominently in the 19 high-school
produced films. The themes and issues raised by the young filmmakers are taken
right out of our local news headlines. The difference is, that in these short
films, the statistics and headlines have a face, a voice and a story.
Films about a girl abducted and gang raped after being
stalked by social media; a brother coerced through peer-pressure to join in a
gang rape of a girl he later discovers to be his sister; young women forced by
circumstance or the lure of easy money to engage in prostitution; and the deception,
manipulation and abuse of children and youth at the hands of in positions of
trust, responsibility and guardianship are not only thought provoking, they are
a commentary on the moral bankruptcy of Fijian society today.
The dramatisation of these stories and those of teen
suicide; the hardship faced single-parents; mothers who have to raise children,
manage families, and earn a living; the struggle of a young woman for self and
social acceptance in world where beauty has become skin-deep; and the
increasing gap between the haves and the have-nots seem not just to be an
attempt to score points with judges, but, with the prevalence and commonality
of such themes throughout the range of entries, seem more to be the cry of our
young people against the world they seem to be on the verge of inheriting.
Yet in the midst of these stories of hurt and are stories
of hope. In the darkness is a ray of light, a word of peace amid the violence. These
are stories of the empowerment of non-hearing people; of second chances for
those who escape the street; of lessons learned and untold stories finally
being told.
The youth of today are sending a strong message to those
charged with the guardianship of the family, the community and society. It is a
call to open our eyes and ears. To realise that suffering of others, could very
easily be the suffering of their own.
The young filmmakers are also sending a message to their
peers. It is a message that it is no longer about the change that is going to
come or needs to come. It is a challenge for them to be the change they wish to
see. It is a message to take heart, have courage and to transform that which is
negative into something positive.
Perhaps these films need to be broadcast on prime time so
the whole family, the larger portion of the community can watch, learn, reflect
and respond.
“Simplicity, Serenity, Spontaneity.”
No comments:
Post a Comment