Book publishing and the film industry seemed to make natural bedfellows at the launch of Zulu Love Letter: A Screenplay at Xarra Books on Saturday, 10 October.
Professor Tawana Kupe, Wits University’s Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, joined Zulu Love Letter authors Bhekizizwe Peterson and Ramadan Suleman for an afternoon of animated discussion and debate.
The foremost question on the minds of many at the launch was, why publish a screenplay and film as a book? Further questions and points of debate encompassed the state of the South African film industry generally: the need to write local stories; the challenges of not only making a movie but getting it on screens around the country; the ongoing, ubiquitous presence of Hollywood films above all others.
Veronica Klipp, publisher at Wits University Press began by acknowledging that Zulu Love Letter is the first time that WUP has published a film script, “with additional material by the director and the script writer”. She said that WUP was keen to publish the book as a package that includes the DVD of the film, which hasnt played very widely in South Africa. “It’s definitely worth watching, and hopefully reading the book and all the additional material will help one to understand what this complex movie is really trying to achieve”.
Kupe then introduced Peterson and Suleman, delighting in the name of their production company, Natives at Large, and its post-1994 cheekiness. Peterson is a professor of Literature at Wits and a filmmaker; Suleman is a renowned director and artist concerned with issues of culture, representation and storytelling.
Kupe also acknowledged the presence of some of the contributors to the book, including Anitra Nettleton and Moje Mokone.
Peterson spoke first, painting a picture of his and Suleman’s work. He said that “most ordinary people in this country still remain excluded, despite all the gains and changes that have been made… They are still not part of whatever cake or gravy is being shared”. With this in mind both he and Suleman felt that the stories they needed to tell had to “connect with that constituency”.
In addition, finding an “uneasy attitude” obtaining towards African cinema and aesthetics generally, Peterson said a key issue to address was the understanding and acknowledgement of “the history of cinema on the continent and the history of a wide range of those performances, and other cultural repertoires that provide the raw material for a film maker or any artist”. Audiences struggle to connect with the African aesthetic possibly because of the preponderance of American, or, rather, Hollywood-generated work that is on our screens.
Peterson also spoke of the major difficulties involved in getting South African films distributed and screened properly. SA cinemas often claim that their screens are too full, or will only give a local film one or two weeks on circuit. He spoke of how Hollywood films come “pre-packaged” with all the marketing materials in place, whereas local films need more tailored, strategic approaches to get cinemagoers’ attention.
“Any South African film is a miracle,” said Peterson – and thus deserves to be treated with decency and respect, if only in acknowledgement of the enormous odds the filmmakers overcame to produce their work.
Looking back at his and Suleman’s work through the 70s, 80s and mid-90s, the authors realised that some of it had gone undocumented and was completely lost. Publishing Zulu Love Letter as a book was a way of archiving this particular work – the journey from script to screen and acknowledgement of the final product.
Suleman joined the discussion, speaking of how important it was to “remind ourselves that before there was cinema there was literature”. The book is, in some sense, then, about returning to a “form that can remain a lifetime”. In collating the material for the book, his hop was to see Zulu Love Letter taught at schools; the book form would hopefully encourage students to better understand “who we are as Africans”.
He spoke about the example of his daughter being given the choice of studying The 39 Steps or Chinua Achebe – and how the teacher suggested 39 Steps, as there was more material to study with. Publishing Zulu Love Letter in the form of a book is a step towards resolving the problem of a lack of materials for African work.
The discussion was opened to the floor, with many enthusiastic and intrigued guests itching to add their questions and comments to the debate. Tania Leurquain acknowledged the American “hegemony” worldwide in the film industry and raised the differences between American expectations of a movie – having a happy ending – versus European expectations, where they are far more accepting of more complex denouments. She therefore felt there was a bigger connection between African and European films, both of which tend to reflect “real life”.
Themba Monare asked about the playing of power in a film scene and how this is handled between writer and director. In response Suleman spoke about the phases of filmmaking and how “what is written in paper is different to what happens” on screen. He said, a director is “confronted by words and confronted by descriptions” when choosing how to play a scene. He also spoke of how an actor should also “bring” to a scene thereby making it a very dynamic process.
Yolisa Mpupa asked about marketing films in SA and the challenges of “targeting ourselves”. Peterson acknowledged this saying there is a need to rethink it and how lamentable it is that local media tend to only sit up and pay attention once a South African film has won an overseas award.
Responding to Dr Jaiyesimi-Njobe’s question about the dependency on others to make our films and the contrast with the Nollywood model, Peterson spoke about how the Nollywood model of film making allows for quick turn around on film production but that it may be abusive and exploitative due to the working conditions attached to it. Peterson described it as a “bartering system” where there is often no payment.
Suleman, in turn, spoke about Bollywood and how Nehru’s 1948 government encouraged Indian film makers to make their own films, going as far as banning foreign films in the country.
Will Edridge asked whether in this new digital world there are new methods and ways of getting a film out into the public domain without such a reliance on larger distributors. He suggested weekly movie screenings in local school halls or sports clubs. AFDA’s Gina Bonmariage told how the film school is in the process of collecting copies of African films to assist students in discovering who they are as African filmmakers.
One of the most moving contributions to the launch discussion came from Fula Mathobela, who drew us a picture of her youth, growing up in a poor community without much emphasis on reading or access to books. She spoke earnestly and passionately about her realisation of the importance of both, and the work she has put in to actively teaching her 7 year old daughter to read and enjoy books. She shared her thrill and enjoyment when her daughter’s Grade 2 teacher recognised her extraordinary level of reading capabilities at such a young age.
Mathobela said she is proud of South African movies and the stories they tell.
Zulu Love Letter: A Screenplay is available for purchase alone or with a movie DVD of Zulu Love Letter with the additional bonus of the movie Fools – another collaboration between Suleman and Peterson.
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Book details
- Zulu Love Letter: A screenplay by Bhekizizwe Peterson, Ramadan Suleman
EAN: 9781868144969
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