TIPTOPSTARS

Cinema for dev’t: Coming epilepsy doc wins empathy

TUDI NDI NATHALIE / ••Monday•, 15 •April• 2013 00:32•

documentary epilepsy5

Film making goes beyond entertainment. Apart from the traditional media (radio, television and newspapers), cinema is also an unarguably strong medium for development. This has been noticeable in the domain of health. There have been scores of film projects in Africa geared at attracting the attention of either public health donor organizations or seeking lasting solutions to some of the most undesirable diseases. Two of the film makers who have taken interest in this rather humanitarian approach of the art are Bamenda-based Takong Delvis and Limbe-based Enah Johnscott.

Touched by devastating effects of epilepsy, Takong and Johnscott set on a filming adventure to discover the lives of patients. People with epilepsy in Cameroon are seen as outcast. People believe that epilepsy is caused by wictches and wizards. So these people are highly stigmatized in their varioue communities. What can we do ? This question has been a guiding tool for the young and daring film makers who have since September 2012 been on the move, talking to victims and knowing exactly what they face as they deal with their condition. Fainting Fit points out the challenges faced by victims of epilepsy which includes deformities, the attribution of the disease to witchcraft, poverty, neglect and most especially stigmatization.

documentary epilepsy1

If the topic attracts attention, the style employed in the film makes it more emotion. By letting the victims and the people directly or indirectly involved talk, the film makers make their subject really appealing to human conscience. Perhaps the slow motion and soul-searching sound track gives the documentary an extraordinarily serious tone – meaning there is something in the air which must be addressed and address real quick.

documentary epilepsy2
But how did you arrive at this? “We wanted take up another challenge in film making other than the production of movies, music videos and adverts and at the same time express our love for humanity. That explains why we went in for a project that could impact our community positively,” Takong told TIPTOPSTARS. It must not have been chocolate to go researching on this, we put it to the film maker. “Oh yes! To be honest, this has been the most challenging project I ever did. Most of the patients did not want to open up, so it was difficult to get information from them. Many of them could not express themselves due to the seizures. We had to cruise on very difficult roads to get to these communities. We even lost some resource persons in the process because they wanted huge sums of money to attend to us. It’s a very emotional film. At times, Scott and I could be caught shedding tears on the field or back in the studios,” Takong went further.

Produced under the banner of Base Entertainment Production, Fainting Fit is said to be at the verge of release. When it finally comes, it will join other human interest/development centred documentaries like those produced by Alenne Menget to keep the film sector in Cameroon alive.

For more information (especially for organizations that would be moved after watching the documentary), contact the producers via (237) 74-41-94-71 or +447931239809. You may just want to support this initiative financially, materially, morally, human resource or otherwise . Contact us •This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it•

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