TIPTOPSTARS

It's just six minutes long, yet Rape is so telling. When it was projected during the just-ended maiden edition of the women's film festival dubbed Mis Me Binga, the audience at the French Cultural Centre and Goethe-Institut Yaounde could not hold back their emotions. The thought-provoking film forced tears from their eyes.

The same emotions were expressed by the Mis Me Binga 2010 jury that wasted no time in surrendering its special prize to Rape. At the pronouncement, the entire audience was unanimously satisfied. Its director, Naah Joyce was heavily applauded and lifted high in the air for a job well done. "I'm filled with emotions," she told TIPTOPSTARS. "I never expected this, even though I knew Rape was a beautiful job we did," Naah went on. She continued, "This is a challenge, I won't relent in my efforts to make more good quality films."

Shot and produced in 2009, Rape exposes a North West of Cameroon ritual whereby a widow suffers thorough thrashing from older widows who claim they are beating out the bad spirits of her fallen husband that could eventually haunt her. "I only came to know this when my father died," the director of the film told us. To Naah, it is such a diabolic ritual that does nothing but inflict severe pain on its victim.

Perhaps, the most exciting thing about Rape is the protagonist, Nadege Mboukoung Yzodjiwo aka Namby. The young actress from French-speaking Cameroon lives her role to the fullest. Her performance attracted audience at Mis Me Binga 2010. "You'd be surprise to learn that Rape was my first shooting experience," she told us. "I have always wanted to be movie star and when the opportunity came to go on set, I did not hesitate," she went on. The talented further told us she was overwhelmed that the film in which she starred won a prize. "This will inspire me to work harder and have more achievements," Namby said.

Also featuring in Rape are Tracy Mong and Rosalie Esindi (wife of the late comedian Esindi Mindja).