About a month and a half ago I started to write about everything that happened in making PILI. Sort of this blog but with added detail and narrative. 70,000 words later and I seem to have a first draft of a book. This is not an academic book – there’s no way you could write an academic book so quickly, well perhaps you could, but I certainly couldn’t – but a book that someone else with no experience of making a film may find useful or face-palm frustrating to read. The over-arching tale seems to be: here’s a lot of things that happened and how you can avoid them, with an undertone of humour and adventure. The audience would be people interested in making their first feature film, budget film making, or making a film in East Africa. I haven’t re-read one word so it may be completely rubbish.
The process of writing this book has been helpful to reflect on everything we’ve done and everything I’ve learned in the process. It has also helped me again think through the future of engaging the women in the film and how to return to Tanzania to screen it to them. After everything that happened when we left Tanzania I have not been that keen to go back, but writing the book made it clear that I had to and that the Tanzania screening was the most important screening. Moreover, the book needs an ending and the ending has to be the Miono women watching the film.
I’m keen to see the women again. Bello has been looking into going back to school as the first step towards her ambition of becoming a nurse. The twins who play her son have been in hospital so I’ve been in touch with their Mum Sikijua to check all’s okay. I also want to find out how Sesilia’s business is going and how Mwanaidi is doing, because she’s just the best. While finishing this post, Shida and Mwantumu sent me a ‘Ramadhan Karim’ message. Time to start planning the return.
Meanwhile, as I’ve been attached to my laptop looking like this as I get the book finished…
… Ansity hit it out the park with the classic bright white wedding dress trend for her wedding to Zephania. Congratulations Maduhus!
Not Another AIDS Film 