NO, YOU’RE AMAZING!

Q&A with Céline Tshika: The Creative Mind Behind “no, YOU’RE amazing!”

Céline, a DR Congo-born and South Africa-raised creative, is based in Cape Town. After obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering from the University of Cape Town, she studied acting in Los Angeles. There, she discovered her love for screenwriting and created the award-winning comedy web series ‘Jess Goes West.’ Her acclaimed satirical works include ‘The Wapidemic’ and ‘Cape Town Royalty Programme.’ Céline also turns her poetry into music, with songs playlisted on local radio. She voices ‘Marjory’ in Netflix’s ‘Supa Team 4’ and co-hosts Season 2 of the South African satire news show ‘Politically Aweh.’

What inspired the story behind your short film, “no, YOU’RE amazing!”?

I’ve always been a fan of satire, and it’s been inspired by things I’ve encountered or observed. This time, I was calling myself out. I was introducing the actual co-star Kathleen Stephens to a fellow comedian and started bragging about her. She denied everything I said and bragged about me. This went on for a while. The comedian said, “this is like a sketch,” and I took that personally. And here we are.

Can you discuss any unique challenges you faced during production?

The main challenge was finding extras. Since the first episode of my web series where I had to ask friends to be extras, I’ve written small, contained stories. I’m not good at asking people for favours, so thankfully my producer had a network of people she could ask.

How did you approach character development within the limited runtime of a short film?

I focused on the interactions between the two leads. In satire, going big and ridiculous is always better, so it made it easy to take two ‘normal’ people and ramp them to the extreme. The focus then became differentiating between their ‘normal’ interactions before and after the fight and the ridiculousness of the fight, where they were heightened versions of themselves.

What message or emotion do you hope the audience takes away from your film?

I really hope they laugh. I hope women, especially, realize how conditioned they are to not accept praise and allow themselves to accept that they are, in fact, amazing!

How do you see your short film fitting into your broader body of work or future projects?

It’s another satire in a string of satire shorts, if I’m honest. This time, though, I’ve poked fun at femininity instead of masculinity, and I think that’ll allow me to find more and more pockets of humanity to highlight through humour.

What’s the most unexpected or funny thing that happened on set?

One of the bar extras, who turned out to be a photographer whose work I’m a huge fan of, spontaneously massaged Kathleen Stephens’ shoulders as she was prepping for the fight, like she was in a boxing ring. We liked it so much we kept it. We had to restart a take because the director laughed.

If your short film had a theme song, what would it be?

“Eye of the Tiger.”

Why are festivals like the FAME Shorts Film Festival so important?

It’s so important to see what is being made on the continent. Last year when I attended, I was so inspired by the films I saw, and it expanded my mind to what kinds of stories I could tell. It’s also good to know what’s being discussed in the culture, and to know where we’re at as artists. It’s also such a great way to get to know local filmmakers I could one day work with or befriend. It’s empowering to see each other’s stories amplified, knowing we can keep creating and learning from each other.

“no, YOU’RE amazing!” written by Céline Tshika, is a hilarious and thought-provoking satire that showcases her unique comedic voice and directorial talent. Be sure to catch it at the FAME Shorts Film Festival.