Posts filed under 'Short-film'

Youth is the first of three short films created via a collaborative group writing process. WeOwnTV youth filmmakers led the writing, pre-production, location scouting, costumes and production for each of the films. Research focused on shared video diary entries highlighting memories from different time periods: before the war, during the war and present day. The scripting process began by identifying thematic through-lines in these entries and developing selected stories through active discussion. Youth was created from shared entries from before the war touched the young filmmakers’ lives.

The portrait film introduces Mohamed Bangura, a.k.a. Super Kayt a single dad and a builder by trade. Having found refuge in a space under the bridge, Super Kayt begins each day by lowering a ladder kept above, for his family’s safety at night. He rises at 6:00 AM to deliver his children to school, work a full day and shop for food; he then arrives home to cook dinner, followed by eating time and math lessons dimly lit by flashlight. Finally, the ladder rises for the night.

This short film was created during a storyboarding exercise and is one of the first collaborative group projects completed. It was shot entirely on the Flip video camera. Alluspa King Jr., who plays the cripple in the film, suffered from polio as a child. He shares stories of being accused of causing bad luck and being a witch when he was younger. This theme is revisited in a later film produced by the team titled Charity.

Written and directed by WeOwnTV’s Arthur Pratt, this three-minute film is about talented blind musician, Sorie Kondi. He is the only blind person who walks the streets of Freetown on his own and knows every area in the city. Married with four children, Sorie Kondi uses music to make money and leave an inspiring mark on the world.