Backtracking - the Manuel Morao shoot (mid-April 2015)

We shot a very interesting interview with Manuel Morao in mid-April for Flamenco:  the Land Is Still Fertile (Flamenco:  la tierra está viva).  Who, you may ask, is Manuel Morao?

Manuel Morao

First of all because of his importance as a guitarist.  He is one of the finest flamenco guitarists alive today, except that he no longer plays the guitar,, due to a serious injury.  Although he no longer plays, his recordings from the time when he was playing - he accompanied an incredible number of the finest singers - are among the best.  He is featured on almost every major CD produced in Jerez in the years in which he was able to play.

Manuel Morao (left) with co-director Antonio de la Malena

In addition, he trained many, many younger guitarists including Diego del Morao, a guitarist who is much in demand, as well as the late highly lauded and beloved guitarist, Moraito, who recently succumbed to cancer.  In general, Manuel Morao is considered to have founded his own school, his own style, of flamenco guitar playing.

Camera operators in consultation:  Roberto Aguilar & yours truly

Just as importantly, he is arguably the most influential and successful of the people who brought flamenco out of the community and cafés and onto the world stage.  Major productions he produced played on Broadway.  For years in Jerez, he presented weekly flamenco performances that garnered an audience literally of thousands.  One of his companies produced CDs and DVDs that were among the first flamenco media productions to sell to a world-wide audience.

Crew (camera & sound) with Manuel Morao and
Antonio de a Malena in the antique shop.

Manuel Morao is a very important man in the development of flamenco.

And he is a true believer in traditional flamenco.

We consider him one of the most important consultants to our project.  We videotaped a seven hour interview with him, filming in three separate locations:  the Plaza de Toros (bullfight ring) where he presented weekly flamenco shows, the street in front of his media production company, and inside an antique shop owned by his friend.

Yours truly, as co-director.

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Until very recently, Eve A.Ma was in Spain, working on a documentary about flamenco that she is co-directing with Antonio de la Malena.  We have just completed its trailer, which you can see HERE.  Ma has just returned to California where she is once again immersing herself in work - editing, designing, conceptualizing, writing funding proposals, and working on publicity.

Festival in Cannes, France (late April-early May 2015)

The Festival International du Film PanAfricain, which took place in Cannes, France, from April 29-May 3, presented my documentary, A Zest for Life:  Afro-Peruvian Rhythms, a Source of Latin Jazz. It  was a real pleasure to have my work screened in a festival that I could attend;  I am on my way back to California from Spain, and it was easy to work Cannes into that trip.

Me with my poster.  (I changed into a dress at night.)

The festival also presented a large number of other works:  some shorts, a pretty good number of feature-length documentaries, a couple of animations and various dramas.  Filmmakers came from all over the world.  The various countries of Africa were extremely well represented, but there were plenty from the USA and from Europe.  The films were in French or English or had subtitling in one of those two languages;  and since luckily I can deal with both languages, I was able to enjoy them all.

Promenade by the Mediterranean - festival poster visible in foreground.

My own screening went well, although I realized in retrospect that the interview when the screening ended was conducted entirely in French, while my film is in English.  I hope everyone in the audience understood both the film and my interview!

Festival organizer Basile Ngangue Ebelle (left) with festival attendee.

In a film festival, there are always more interesting films than one person can possibly watch.  Of the more than 19 films that I managed to see most or all of, the one that stands out the most is Poverty, Inc. an American documentary in English directed by Mark Weber.  You should really check it out when it hits the movie theaters.

Of dramas, I'l choose John of God (on the light side) - shot in the Congo by director Selé Mpoko - and Price of Love (for something more serious) - a drama shot in Ethiopia by director Yefkir Wagawe.  As for shorts, well, I'm going to pass on that one for now.

What the hey - me, one more time, with festiva poster.

A comment about prizes:  there were LOTS of films I wanted to see that I missed, including two that won top prizes.  I bet they're good!  But of the three films I mentioned above that I particularly liked, two won prizes.  The Price of Love, in fact, won the prize for Best of Festival.  Good work!

Finally, in case you think going to film festivals is only about networking and hoping for a prize:  sure, I networked (didn't get any prize, though) but I also learned a great deal from watching other peoples films.  I learned not only the things one learns from art well done, but also got some ideas about my own work.

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Until very, very recently, Eve A.Ma was in Spain, working on a documentary about flamenco that she is co-directing with Antonio de la Malena.  She is about to return to California where she will once again immerse herself in work - editing, designing, conceptualizing, writing funding proposals, and working on publicity.