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African Diaspora Film Festival, New York and Lagos/Abuja, Nigeria ñ December 2006

Three by Three

I know its February, but hey. Weíve been quiet because weíve been lazy busy. Honestly. We are screening in Los Angeles next week, and the week after. Then weíre screening again in Burkina Faso (I had to look it up on an atlas too before I accepted the invitation ñ FESPACO is remote but well renowned). And to round up the first quarter, weíll be screening at one of the coolest venues in London ñ the National Film Theatre on the South Bank (more than a tiny bit bigger than the Tricycle in Kilburn). Details in a ëscreenings emailí to follow.

But back to where we left you; the African Diaspora Film Festival in New York at the start of December was awesome. Run by a handful of people, it is one of the most organised and soul-enriching festivals Iíve been to yet. There was a strong contingent of British and International Filmmakers, and since we were all being housed in the lovely apartments of Columbia University teaching college, we would debate about life and art and playahaterz late into the night. Then continue our discussions with the audiences at various panels during the day. Rag Tag was even nominated for Best Film. We didnít win but when youíre screening next to Oscar nominated masterpieces like Indigene it was an honour simply to be invited to the festival.

A few days after New York ñ it was time to take it back to Africa. Iím sure some feared my silence might have been due to a heavy lynching in Nigeria. The trip was indeed a revelation.

The first screening was in Abuja, and despite 3 days at Heathrow Airport, I didnít manage to make it. However, my fantastic family pulled it off and the show went on without me. From all reports, the audience was a mixture of Europeans and more cosmopolitan Nigerians. Though relatively worldly, I hear the crowd were taken aback, but emerged very positive and curious. My brother and father answered what questions they could, but I was inundated with them when I finally got into the country.

However, I was very much present for the Lagos screening. It was mainly Nigerians proper, and a significant number had been invited from a local church group. Fortunately, they were given some hint as to the content, unfortunately, they thought they were there to see lesbians. What they actually saw nearly brought the house down. They shouted and screamed and stamped their feet, but they never took their eyes off the screen. And they could barely wait for the house lights to come up before they launched into a question and answer session that threatened to last almost as long as the film.

That said ñ the debate impressed me. Yes, people had some strong views, but the setting was intimate enough (about 30 people per screening) so that mob mentality didnít set in. The audience seemed to feel strongly that anyone under the age of 21 who saw Rag Tag would automatically become gay, and that I needed to be very aware of my responsibility as a filmmaker, and the power of the images I presented. On the other hand, many felt it was important that I showed the film to as many people as I could, so that they saw what was truly happening in our society and could STAMP out the gayness.

Typically for Nigerians, everyone had something to say, and Iím pretty sure they were discussing it for days afterwards. As a result, there has been a demand for more and larger screenings, and it is something I am considering for later in the year.

But like I said at the beginning, we have more than enough on our plate for now. Los Angeles, Ouagadougou and London over the next 8 weeks. Rag Tag has been nominated for one of PAFFís four major awards, and is likely to be one of the centrepiece films at the British Film Institute festival. It looks like thereís bigger and brighter to come.

Adaora x