Tag Archives | Senegal

What we hope audiences will take away

on July 27, 2012

Our Director, Jeremy Teicher speaks about what we hope audiences will take away

With  Grand comme le Baobab, I really strove to truthfully represent the villagers and their culture, countering the one-dimensional approach taken by many other media representations of rural Africans.  [I wanted to avoid] ….contributing to the “othering” of rural Africans…all the lingering, uncomfortable feelings of guilt that I’d picked up from the Western media portrayal of “poor Africans.”

Abdoulaye, our valued translator with Jeremy

My own feelings  with the villagers quickly shifted to respect—respect for their culture, their optimism, and their work ethic. Respect for the students, only a few years younger than me, who were pursuing a formal education against incredible odds. The contrast between my expectations and the reality I encountered was profound. The film shares this and I hope it will spark positive cross-cultural dialogue and help us embrace our shared humanity.

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Official Selection Montreal World Film Festival

on July 18, 2012

We are very excited to announce our official selection into the First Films World Competition at the Montreal World Film Festival  this August! Montreal is a major worldwide festival with a focus on encouraging cultural diversity and understanding, attracting an international market of film distributors. We also love that we won’t get lost in the crowds following movie stars and anticipate a strong interest in our film! Stay tuned for more details on screening times.

 

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Bridging cultural gaps on film set

on July 12, 2012

 

Director Jeremy Teicher (Right) with DP Chris Collins (Left)

“Sharing the Magic of Filmmaking in Rural Africa” – director Jeremy Teicher writes about using technology to bridge cultural gaps on set. How do you work with first-time actors who have never watched a TV show or been to a movie theater? Our director reveals the behind-the scenes magic. Posted by Zacuto, one of our generous equipment sponsors. http://www.zacuto.com/sharing-magic-filmmaking-rural-africa-jeremy-teicher

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The film’s inspiration

on June 25, 2012

Grand comme le Baobab builds on work I began in 2009, when I traveled to Senegal to direct an independent documentary short nominated for a Student Academy Award in 2011.

I worked with  a teenager named Dior who shared a story about the girls in her village who are forced to marry between the ages of 8 and 12. As the first generation with access to formal education, Dior and her peers are divided between those whose parents sent them to school and those whose parents chose to follow the deep-rooted tradition of arranged marriage. Dior’s experience living between the world of school and the world of tradition deeply resonated with me. We worked together, along with some of the other students, to develop a fictional script that spoke to their personal experiences on the leading end of this cultural change. Through a narrative story, we felt we could most effectively capture the emotions of the old and new worlds colliding.

Grand comme le Baobab explores the tensions, quiet victories, and heartbreaks that come with this change.

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A big thank you to our gear sponsors

on June 17, 2012

With multiple cameras rolling at all times, Grand comme le Baobab uses the latest HDSLR technology with a Canon 5D and 7D and sound recorded using a Zoom recorder. Partnering with Wide Open Camera, our gear sponsors include Canon, Zeiss, Birns & Sawyer, Kessler, Marshall, Ikan, Switronix, Zacuto, and Jag35.

The results are stunning, displaying a natural style that elegantly shows off the beauty of rural Senegal and organically captures the natural, improvised performances of our local cast.

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First feature-length narrative in Pulaar language.

on May 30, 2012

I communicated directly in French to those younger cast members that spoke French, but had to rely on my local translator, who did not speak any English, to translate from French to Pulaar for the other cast members. Then I would translate any instructions into English for my American camera crew, who were unable to speak directly to my Senegalese crew. Gestures and smiles saved us.

[excerpt from Jeremy Teicher's personal diary]

Check out our behind the scenes video here .

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Deeply touched by their stories

on May 17, 2012

On my first trip to the village almost 4 years ago, I brought with me all the lingering, uncomfortable feelings of guilt that I’d picked up from the media portrayal of “poor Africans.” These feelings dissipated as my relationship with the villagers shifted from one of pity to one of respect. Respect for the students —not so much very younger than I — who were pursuing a formal education against incredible odds; respect for the elders, who radiated an aura of peace and wisdom; respect for the wives, who seemed to always have smiles of their faces; and most of all, respect for the unbelievable determination I saw in each and every villager to develop their community. The contrast between my expectations and the reality I encountered was profound. I was deeply touched by their stories.

[excerpt from Jeremy Teicher's personal diary]

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Voices never heard before

on May 14, 2012

With our post-production finalized in May 2012, the celebratory end of our on location shooting in Africa almost 10 months ago is still fresh in our minds. . . We spent this past weekend beginning to get the word out about this amazing film. Quick recap …

Grand comme le Baobab (Tall as the Baobab Tree) is a feature-length narrative inspired by true stories from the director’s Student Academy Award nominated documentary short.

The film is a voice for the young generation living in the developing world – nearly 85% of the world’s population. It is the first feature film made in the colloquial Pulaar language (subtitled in English). With an ensemble cast of local village actors playing natural roles that mirror their own lives, the film offers a rare glimpse into a unique voice that has never been heard before.

Take a look at our trailer.

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Check out our behind the scenes video.

on April 21, 2012

As we traveled by horse cart to the village every morning, I wondered if filming my first feature length narrative at such a challenging location was an act of total naiveté. But in the end, the openness of the villagers, the beauty of the landscape, and my desire to tell this story far outweighed the challenging logistical concerns. Check out our behind the scenes video here .

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