Cynematik on IndieWIRE

I applied for and was granted a one-year sabbatical by the Maricopa County Community College District for the upcoming academic year. The purpose of a sabbatical is for a faculty member to deepen his/her knowledge in his/her field, explore areas of interest and bring this new knowledge/renewed enthusiasm back to the classroom. As part of my proposal, I proposed to attend the GNOMON SCHOOL to acquire more animation skills. I also proposed to attend the NEW YORK FILM ACADEMY. So, when people ask me what I'm doing for my sabbatical, I'm surprised that I say, "I'm going to Zambia."

Though I'll study at GNOMON and NYFA when I get back, my focus from June until October will be supporting and documenting the first dramatic narrative film to be produced in Zambia. That's right, Zambia. I'm as surprised as anyone. It was certainly nothing I ever thought would appear in my life.

About a year ago, one of my students told me that he was from Zambia and he was in the U.S. to learn how to make films. His goal was to make the first dramatic narrative film in his country AND launch the film industry in his country. Students tell me a lot of things so I nodded and smiled. I did a bit of research and found that there had been no dramatic narrative films in Zambia and only a few documentary clips that had been shot there.

The student, JABBES, continued to study and work on his filmmaking craft. His short films were quite good. They often had a different rhythms and sensibilities than his American counterparts. I found out that he had been a producer/director for Zambian National Broadcasting. He was a teacher for the Zambian Department of Education. He had been the director of national theater, served on government committees and proposed a national film festival.

When I got back from the Sundance Film Festival this year, Jabbes came to ask for my support. He is returning to Zambia in June to shoot his film. He asked me to executive produce the film. I agreed to get on board and I'm really excited about the possibility of helping Jabbes create the first film from AND about his country. I'm on board to support the creation of the first Zambian film about Zambian culture by a Zambian. As an art teacher, I am eager to bring a unique voice and vision from an unrepresented culture to the world stage.

Additionally, I decided to do a documentary about the making of the first Zambian dramatic narrative. Currently, the unemployment rate in Zambia is about 60%. Copper and coffee are the primary exports. Both industries have significant human costs. The country only has about 18% arable land even though is has some of the most spectacular waterfalls, forests and wildlife in Africa. The documentary will provide a look at how someone from a highly-industrialized nation experiences and interacts with the challenges of an economically-challenged nation.

So, in the upcoming months, in addition to blogging about digital filmmaking, fine art, education and animation, I'll be writing about the First Zambian Feature.