Q: What inspired the story behind your short film?
A: I come from the Comorian diaspora. While filming my previous documentary in the Comoros islands, I came across black and white family photos that caught my attention. I discovered that my maternal family had lived in Mahajanga, Madagascar, for many years in the past. My grandparents settled there, and their children, including my aunts and uncles, were born there. They lived there until adulthood, and their descendants arrived next. After the events of Majunga, three generations were obliged to leave. After researching the reason for their departure, I wanted to understand why the nostalgia of living there was greater than the historical fact. My intention with this story is to pay tribute to those individuals who are no longer with us.
Q: Can you discuss any unique challenges you faced during production?
A: The most difficult step was securing funding, especially since the film was shot on 16mm film to recreate the ambiance of that era. This format added complexity to addressing community issues around the main character. From writing to post-production, everything required nuance. COVID-19 brought additional challenges when the island closed its borders, delaying fieldwork. Despite these hurdles, the shoot was thrilling, and the team had incredible synergy. I learned that patience and determination can see a project through to the end, embodying perseverance.
Q: How did you approach character development within the limited runtime of a short film?
A: I worked backwards from the chronology of historical facts, cross-checking several versions and testimonies. Once I had the historical context, I added individual stories, including that of Ali, the main character. Ali is a widowed father living with his two daughters, working in a binding shop. He observes gradual changes around him and in his relationships. Shooting on 16mm film helped immerse the audience in Ali’s 1970s world, reflecting his memories of a neighborhood, a home filled with love, his daughters, bright colors, daily work, life, friends, and eventually more complex memories. The film delicately reveals these missing images for our collective memory.
Q: What message or emotion do you hope the audience takes away from your film?
A: The movie tells an unknown and untold story about what happened in Majunga during the seventies. It’s a universal story, and I hope that with more films on similar subjects, such killings against a community will never happen again.
Q: How do you see your short film fitting into your broader body of work or future projects?
A: With this project, I continue my work on the trajectories of the Comorian diaspora to which I belong. Between fiction and observation of reality, I build a universe whose narrative deepens my relationship to my roots. My future project is a feature film I want to shoot in Dunkirk, where I was born and where there is a large Comorian diaspora.
Q: If you could cast any actor, living or dead, in your next project, who would it be and why?
A: I love working with nonprofessional actors. It’s great to see how they integrate into the project as it is and to see them thrive on stage.
Q: If you could have a superpower to help you with filmmaking, what would it be and how would you use it?
A: I don’t have an answer for that question either.
Q: Why are festivals like the FAME Shorts Film Festival so important?
A: Coming from the French-speaking area, it is a great opportunity for my film to be screened at your festival. The way of thinking and making films is different, and I would like to discover the works of others.