A watched kettle never boils and a refreshed inbox does not produce a first cut yadayadayada, but if you were told you were going to be sent the first cut of your film this week would you carry on writing an academic article or keep refreshing the inbox? Exactly. But the wait is over and the 1st cut is here!
Director Leanne, Editor Kant and Translator Kwame have been working super hard and fast to get the film to this stage and it is so exciting to see it. It’s also really weird as I’ve not seen any of it until now and it reminds me of so much- the man who ran the local DVD stall who really wanted to be in the film and told Leanne how to direct (‘you should say action and cut when you want things to happen’ great mansplaining); the unbearable heat of the day we shot the farm manager scenes; the hilarity of the twins’ dancing; Ansity’s posh phone voice; Latifa’s love of porridge; and the running/walking up and down of roads and fields in the wrong direction. Watching it has been such a positive experience because it reminds me of the good fun part of making the film without the risky part.
I’ve only watched it once and can’t believe we did it! I need to watch it again with my critical producer eye to make sure it covers everything it needs to (hitting the right themes, making sure children only have blurry faces, ensuring the balance of HIV/health/story etc) but so far, so EXCITING. This is going to be good.
Not Another AIDS Film 