South African producer, James Taylor, talks about digital cinema and his latest film

James Tayler, member of the collective Yes! That’s Us, and producer of Boda Boda Thieves has participated in the second session of the “The Palaver Tree” Forum. The topic of this session was “Digital Revolution and Pop Culture”, and the participants gave their opinion on the influence of the digital era in the African landscape.

Tayler reminded that FCAT’s is the first co-production forum where Boda Boda Thieves has been presented. After the introduction, he noted that the collaboration and the exchange of ideas with his colleague Donald Madisha (whom he met in 2004 and currently works with in Yes! That’s Us) wouldn’t have been possible without the opportunities generated by the new technologies.

The distribution of films was another very present topic during the discussion. Tayler mentioned the hundred of movie theatres that exist in South Africa, a large number in comparison with other African countries such as Uganda, where he usually works. “One thing that surprises me in Uganda is that people watch films, because they can find DVD’s everywhere. Consequently a lot of people go and watch the screens”, he said. He explained how the “chiwandas” work in Uganda. The “chiwandas” are small living rooms where people meet to watch films; tickets are cheap and a DJ narrates the story of the film while people also comment. “It is a social way to see films. You can eat your chicken and watch films at the same time”, stated Taylor.

Boda Boda Thieves, to compete in the 12th Cordoba African Film Festival

Boda Boda Thieves (Abaabi ba boda boda) by Yes! That’s Us is a homage and tribute to the great Italian neo-realist film The Bicycle Thief (1948) by Vittorio De Sica. It is not a remake or a re-interpretation but an original work freely inspired by the classic. The film, which competes in the “Long-Sightedness” section, is about a young drifter whose existence is put to the test when an accident stops his father from being able to drive his “Boda Boda”, (from “border-to-border”), his motorcycle taxi. All of a sudden, he gains full access to this freedom-representing vehicle. It’s a fantastic opportunity for him to escape his life’s predetermined plot, but it’s not without risk.

The producer, writer and editor of the film, James Tayler, described to FCAT the obstacles that they had to overcome to make the film possible. After their initial success in terms of exposure and budget, thanks to their presence in different Festivals such as Nantes or FCAT, they had to face some adverse situations. The reduced budget to finish the film, the outbreak of Ebola announced by CNN right at the beginning of the shooting, the Boda Boda crashes, the fact that the main character grew up or the lack of money for post-production are just some of them.

It should be highlighted that the soundtrack of the film features different musicians and sources: the well-known Peter Miles, the traditional music collected by the Ilam Library (a South African traditional music archive) and the composer Graeme Lees.

The film is directed by Yes! That’s Us, a pan-African filmmaking collective which focuses on the collaborative nature of making films and the importance of finding indigenous working models and distribution solutions that suit conditions on the ground. They are convinced that the best way to work is through the collaboration between a multitasking group and out of the usual hierarchies and egos in the film industry. Their objective is to exchange opinions and experiences and to open new lines of collaboration to eventually build a network throughout different countries.