BY MULUGETA GUDETA
No African film was nominated for this year’s Academy awards and this should not come as a surprise. Hollywood is a huge institution that is always captive of its own narcissism and allergic to foreign films in general and films about or made by black people in particular. Africa has so far produced great film makers but none of them had made it to the Hollywood Hall of Fame simply because there is no one in Hollywood who thinks that black people or Africans are capable of making films “that sell”.
Among the greats of African cinema are Senegalese Semebene Ousman, whom the Los Angeles Times once described him as “one of the greatest authors of Africa and he has often been called the father of African film” The Ethiopian film maker Haile Gerima was described by Wikipedia as “a leading member of the LA Rebellion film movement, also known as the Los Angeles School of Black Filmmakers. His films have received wide international acclaim.” There are prominent South African, Nigerian, Egyptian and other African filmmakers who enjoy similar accolades but are often ignored by the Hollywood film establishment because of their origins.
The case of Haile Gerima is typical. He is an independent as well as a talented and versatile producer, film maker, director and script writer who carried the heavyweight of professional responsibility is producing some of his most acclaimed movies like Adwa (About the first African victory over a European power) Sankofa – about the slave trade in Africa comparable to Roots. He was also a professor of film art at Howard University in the United States.
Haile has made other films worth mentioning but it would be more relevant here to focus on his most famous 2008 movie known as Teza, a 140-minute feature drama based on a screenplay by Haile Gerima and also directed by him. AS he made it clear in many interviews and statements, Haile had tried to secure funds from European film companies and cultural institutions to turn his scripts that are still languishing in his desk drawer into films with co-production with other partners. It was only after all his efforts came to naught that Haile started to rely on his scares financial resources to make his own films and achieved success.
The few black actors and actresses who made it to the top of the American film industry could only do so by overcoming the institutional racism that is inherent within the American film industry. Compared to white actors, the black stars can be counted on the fingers of both hands.
The American movie industry often plays politics in selecting movies for screening and possibly lucrative incomes at the box office. The first unstated mission of Hollywood is to reflect an image of American invincibility across the world and serve as soft power to brainwash unsuspecting audiences about America’s greatness, attractiveness or it being the “land of opportunities”. This is big politics of course.
Hollywood is also good at selecting movies that make money because as the biggest stakeholder of the international movie business, Hollywood always tries to get movie that are timely and potentially record breakers at the box office.
One of the nominations for best adapted films categories this year was a film called All Quiet on the Western Front” about the first world war that critics consider the best movie to come out of that war. This particular film was nominated apparently because of its marketing potentials at a time when the world is anxious about the Ukraine-Russian conflict that is escalating dangerously as we jot these words.
The movie industry leaders might have guessed that this particular film must be suited for the time as international attention is fixated on the Ukraine war and that could trigger a massive international distribution frenzy and a mountain of cash. It is not unusual for Hollywood to make money out of human sufferings by touching at their right instincts at a particular time.
Black in 2018, a feature film about Africa called Black Panther made history as the first film made by an Africa that won the greatest accolade in Western film industry. In 2018, Black Panther was nominated for seven awards at the 91st Academy awards, won three and other accolades. According to Wikipedia, Black Panther was, “The first superhero film to receive a Best Picture nomination and thefirst film to win several categories. A sequel to Black Panther; Wakanda Forever which was released in November 2022 while a television series set in Wakanda is under development by Disney.”
No African film, except one, has ever won an Oscar and that was a South African production called “Tsotsi” that won the coveted award for best foreign language film back in 2006. According to available information, “In nearly 75 years, the Oscar for best international film has only gone to an African production three times and a Bollywood production has never won one. Europe dominates the category.”
As we know, most Bollywood productions consist of songs and dances and story lines that are produced and reproduced many times with different settings. Most of the “famous” Indian films are based on the charisma of the handful of actors and actresses that are featured in most films. Special effect films are rare while fantasy films seem to lack appeal in India where most of the films are screened. According to another opinion, “The Oscars are just market game and anyone who can attract the attention of the Academy with good marketing has a better chance of being nominated.”
According to another source, “the success of Sotsi is not entirely a coincidence, as Steve Ayorinde, a Nigerian film critic who has been a juror at international film festivals such as Cannes, Berlin and Toronto pints out. Many of the South African films that gain international attention are directed by white filmmakers, as was the case for Sotsi director Gavin Hood.”
The problem with African films has never been one of talent or quality of production but lack of support from established studios or production companies. According to Ayorinde, “A number of African films are always on the sidelines of major festivals. But then who pushes them? Without collaborations, without support, without a major American or European institution or production companies investing in such a film, it will be difficult to market African films in the world.”
The point is that black filmmakers have long proved themselves capable of producing movies that are equal to or surpassing those produced by the American film establishment and their business affiliates who spend hundreds of millions of dollars to produce films of their choice while refusing to support serious African film makers whose styles and themes are often unpleasant, militant by the standards of Hollywood or similar institutions in Europe that are fond of making a lot of money-spinning rubbish or infantile productions in the name of entertainment.
Africa had no alternative other than establishing its own film academies, and educational institutions although the money for such projects is often hard to come by. Ethiopia for instance has a history of filmmaking that spans many decades or almost a century but she has no film academy. Many African countries deserve or ought to develop their movie industries through educating the younger generation and producing films that appeal to African audiences and deal with African history and societies and related problems.
The establishment of the little known African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) aimed at presenting annual awards to recognize excellence among professionals working in or non-African Professionals who have contributed to the African film industry. The award which is run through the African film Academy “aimed at honoring and promoting excellence in the African movie industry as well as uniting the African continent through arts and culture.”
Our first impressions of America and India or any other country is formed through their films as a powerful tool for projecting their values and histories. Even China which was once closed to the outside world, s nowadays playing catch up with Western film industries not only for the money that it generate but also for project China to the world as a modern, and developing country with a rich amazing and ancient history.
The Ethiopian film industry has all the factors that could make it a success story judging by past achievements and the production good films. It has a long history of film making and theatre production as well as very good actors and actresses despite the fact that they are seldom trained or educated in the arts of acting as there is no school for acting in the country. Ethiopia has also amazing landscapes suited for film locations and diverse communities with rich story telling traditions.
As indicated above, the problem with the industry is money that could be invested in good productions. Investment in filmmaking is haphazard while potential investors have not yet developed the confidence in and the knowledge of making films that are often lucrative.
There are also shortcomings on the part of the cultural institutions that are not paying sufficient attention to the promotion of the Ethiopian film industry that could be useful in promoting the country’s image and attract foreigners to visit the exotic places that could be projected on the silver screen. The culture and tourism authorities should therefore invest time and money in the promotion and support of the country’s film industry not as a marginal activity but as an indispensable factor of economic development and image building initiatives.
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD FRIDAY 3 FEBRUARY 2023
