#Chad: “Sometimes people stop me on the street and say you have to talk about this topic… I feel like I become, despite myself, the spokesperson for many things. Now that I’m getting a bit older, I tell myself that if I don’t talk about these things, it might be that no one talks about them…” ~ Haroun
Unifrance recently hosted an enlightening masterclass with acclaimed Chadian filmmaker Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, moderated by film historian and Columbia University professor Richard Peña.
The engaging conversation explored Haroun’s extensive career and impact on cinema, in Chad and internationally.
“I make cinema for the people of my neighborhood. I know my neighbors, everyone knows me, and so when I’m looking for someone, I just talk to them a bit about it.” ~ Haroun
They covered a range of Haroun’s films, starting with his debut, BYE BYE AFRICA (1999), an autofiction that grapples with AIDS in Africa.
They talked about ABOUNA (2002), Cannes Jury Prize winner A SCREAMING MAN (2010), GRIS GRIS (2013), and LINGUI (2021).
A focus was on Haroun’s ability to draw authentic performances from his actors and story inspiration from real-life experiences.
“The rhythm in my films is linked to something that I’m trying to capture but that always escapes me through my characters. I think that fundamentally for me, making films is about trying to capture time, to imprison time. The rhythm that I have in my films is the consciousness that time is passing and that we can’t do anything about it.” ~ Haroun
Also, they unwrapped Haroun’s profound explorations of the personal tolls of civil war and intergenerational conflict, and they addressed critical social issues including the fight for abortion legalization and combating female circumcision in Chad.
Unifrance has thankfully made the full masterclass available online. So take a deep dive into the works of one of Africa’s most prominent contemporary filmmakers.
“We’ve really been sold a bill of goods with this notion that digital technology would allow us to make films easily in Africa. The result is that we’re not producing any more than we were before. On the other hand, there’s something pretty surprising, which is that more and more series are being made.” ~ Haroun
I’ve had the pleasure of being in conversation with both Mahamat-Saleh Haroun (twice) and Richard Peña (once). A pleasure to watch them rap…