Lonbraz Kann
Lonbraz Kann (also known as Sugarcane Shadows[1]) is a 2014 Mauritian film directed by David Constantin.
Plot
[edit]The story follows the closing of a sugar factory, and how it affects the local residents: the factory workers' houses are destroyed to make space for new up-scale residences, and foreign workers are brought in to help with that construction.
Cast
[edit]- Danny Bhowaneedin as Marco
- Nalini Aubeeluck as Devi
- Raj Bumma as Bissoon
Production
[edit]The film started in 2006 as a project called Sans Sucre at the Three Continents Festival's "Produire au Sud" workshop in Nantes in France.[2] It participated in the 2010 Francophone Production Forum in Namur Film Festival.[3] In 2012, the film was selected to participate in the Open Doors film lab run by the Locarno Festival.[4] The production received 93,000 euros from ACPCulture+ and 40,000 euros from the International Organisation of the Francophonie, and the filmmakers made it a priority to hire local crew members and equipment before resorting to bringing in skilled people from Europe.[5] The film was shot in November and December 2013[6] at actual construction sites in Mauritius.[1] Constantin cast people with no prior acting experience because he wanted to find local residents who had life experiences that were related to the characters they were playing.[7]
Release
[edit]Lonbraz Kann premiered at the Festival international du film d'Afrique et des îles in Réunion on October 2, 2014.[8] It also screened at several international festivals, including the Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur, Zanzibar International Film Festival, and Seattle International Film Festival.[9]
Reception
[edit]The film was awarded Best Screenplay at the 2015 Durban International Film Festival.[1] It also won two awards at the 2015 Africa Movie Academy Awards: Achievement in Cinematography and Achievement in Sound.[10]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Higgins, MaryEllen (December 2015). "David Constantin, director. Lonbraz Kann (Sugarcane Shadows)". African Studies Review. 58 (3). Cambridge University Press: 281–283. doi:10.1017/asr.2015.105. S2CID 152077890. Retrieved 2 October 2018 – via Project MUSE.
- ^ "Archives Produire au Sud for Nantes". Festival des 3 Continents. n.d. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
- ^ "Archives - 7ème Forum de Namur". FIFF Namur. n.d. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
- ^ "2012 Sub-Saharan Francophone Africa". Locarno Festival. n.d. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
- ^ "CINÉMA: En avant pour "Lonbraz Kann"" [Cinema: "Lonbraz Kann" Moving Forward]. Le Mauricien (in French). 13 October 2012. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
- ^ "Movie". Lonbraz Kann. n.d. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
- ^ Will Martin (8 June 2015). Sugarcane Shadows Director Interview (Youtube video). Youtube. Event occurs at 02:13. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
- ^ "Programme FIFAI 2014" (PDF). Festival international du film d'Afrique et des îles. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 February 2015. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
- ^ "Lonbraz Kann". Africiné. n.d. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
- ^ "Tony Elumelu Bags Amaa's Award As Mauritania, Nigeria Win Big". All Africa. 16 October 2018. Retrieved 2 October 2018 – via General OneFile.