Bringing an African Perspective to a Christmas Story
Q: What inspired the story behind your short film?
A: I grew up celebrating Christmas and receiving gifts every year. Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year, so I decided to tell a story about this holiday that celebrates family, friendship, and sharing. I wanted to create a Christmas story from an African perspective.
Q: Can you discuss any unique challenges you faced during production?
A: The main challenges were financial. We are a very young studio, and it is not always easy. Additionally, we had to assemble a team that matched our artistic and technical ambitions, which took almost a year.
Q: How did you approach character development within the limited runtime of a short film?
A: The creation process was straightforward. I wanted to keep Santa Claus’s character as we know him but place him in a new, African environment, specifically Cameroon. I focused on maintaining the symbolism behind Christmas and emphasized graphic research on the film’s landscapes to make them attractive and beautiful, fitting for a children’s film.
Q: What message or emotion do you hope the audience takes away from your film?
A: I hope the audience takes away messages of solidarity, sharing, tolerance, and love.
Q: How do you see your short film fitting into your broader body of work or future projects?
A: This film can serve as the foundation for a longer project. It has given me more confidence and ambition for future projects.
Q: If you could cast any actor, living or dead, in your next project, who would it be and why?
A: I would love to cast Morgan Freeman because his career and charisma greatly impress me.
Q: What’s the most unexpected or funny thing that happened on set?
A: The most unexpected thing was the external dubbing. The sound engineer proposed recording all the voices outdoors to capture the real soundscapes of our environment, which was both effective and amusing.
Q: If your short film had a theme song, what would it be?
A: The theme would be family.
Q: What’s the strangest piece of advice you’ve ever received about filmmaking?
A: I was always told not to pursue filmmaking.
Q: If you could have a superpower to help you with filmmaking, what would it be and how would you use it?
A: If I had a superpower, it would be the gift of multiplication. I am meticulous and would like to be everywhere at once.
Q: Why are festivals like the FAME Shorts Film Festival so important?
A: Festivals like FAME are crucial because they provide a platform to express myself and highlight the strong potential in Africa, particularly in Cameroon, regarding animated films.
