Ion Film Festival : The Saga Continues

The following took place on the 19th of Dec 2009, between 12 midnight and 12 noon. True – every word.
Ion (Caterina) 19th Dec 12.13 am
Dear Mr Ere, how are you? I had a physical breakdown after the festival. Can you please let me know how much I owe u for the Rivers retrospective ? Thanks . Caterina.
For the Rivers perspective please read Paean to Port Harcourt.
Me to Ion (Caterina): 19 Dec 09 11.06 am
Dear Caterina, I had a mental breakdown after the festival. Pls u owe me 1 million Naira for the work and 1 million Naira for plagiarism…for showing d work without credits..(pls don’t deny this).lol..deinbofa ere
11.09am Missed Call. Ion Film.
11.11am: Me to Ion (Caterina). Pls Txt Thanks.
Ion (Caterina) to me. 11.12am
Why a mental breakdown? What happened? You said it would have not been much – let me know how much I owe you ? Thanks and I hope u r better.
I realised at this point that Caterina and I were not on the same page nor has she read my email.
Me to Ion (Caterina) 11.14am
Refer to my email – subject FYI and btw I am deadly serious. Pls rtn Grassmarket.
Ion (Caterina) to me.11.18 am.
Mr Ere, Please don’t take advantage of me. I tried my best to listen to you and make it a reality-having to change programs. I am crying .I feel like I have been taken for a ride. I just wanted everyone to be happy. You told me don’t worry about the money it will be little. I was expecting something in the range of 200,000 Naira. I don’t have the money to pay.
Me to Ion (Caterina). 11.34 am
I don’t take advantage of anyone .I am the one(sic) taken for a ride. Pls if you cannot see that I was roundly humiliated then this communications is worthless. Be in no doubt - am livid.

Silence

Ion Film Fest stole Paean to Phc

I really hate to start my blog with a rant..but a rant it is.

Ion Film Festival stole my work – Paean to Port Harcourt.

This is a harsh statement I know but permit me to explain. The days leading to the film festival independent of my thinking, Ion had come in for a lot of criticism among the PH people – Actors and other cultural practitioners alike.

I had written to them and copied the Commissioner for Culture (who did not bother reply) . The letter in summary regretted that there was no participation of PH in any way in the festival and if I were Ion, I will at the very least – acknowledge PH as a place where films and arts once thrived, and will again – inshallah.

Frenetic texts and calls followed, during which I suggested a little vignette, a clip, a homage if you like to PH, her fallen and the living.

If those who commissioned and paid a small fortune) for this self flagellatory love-in called Ion Film fest, do not see it fit to promote their city, their product – then I should - I thought. I live and work in PH, I am a film maker.

I said I would do this documentary – a short three minutes poem if you like. It ended up being 4.56 secs.

Between Thursday evening, and the Tuesday midnight (the festival began on weds) when I submitted the first cut, I called in favours – got stills, borrowed some beautiful lines from Obari Gomba – Poet. PH.

I wrote a paean to PH. My beloved city. I called Sam Dede to help me voice a part, I voiced a part. I wrote of Ola Rotimi and of JT Tom West, of the fallen and exalted the living. I loved doing this. I did.

On Weds, Ion came back and said the sound was low. WE redid it again and sent them a much improved Copy.

They showed it, without the credits. This is serious. It is akin to publishing a book without an author. It is plagiarism, it is criminal. Now I did not know that this had happened. I was not at the Gala (I had no ticket). It was the next day that Ibinabo Fiberesima – Chair AGN, called me in a fit of pique that I did not include her in the pantheon of actors mentioned. Our conversation lasted for a few minutes. It was when she said Caterina (of Ion) was the one that told her that I made the film. It still did not gel that no credits were shown. People were having a conversation that they enjoyed the docu .Sam Dede called to say that it was well received, that he thought that maybe I had no time that is why I ended it abruptly. How? How would I do a thing like that, even if I wanted no credit, others helped me . So I investigated if it was true. Yes several people told me that it was the case. NO credits. Even if Ion paid for the docu, they had to, have to - must credit the author of the work.

They did not. And even worse they knew they could get away with it, because sad to say, our people – Nigerians- suffer from a terrible complex. We are house niggers. We placed ourselves there of our own volition. We would kowtow to any Oyinbo – any.

I felt violated by Ion.

Meanwhile they said they will show my Film Grassmarket. Then they changed their minds. No we can show it, then they decided that they will show it again. Here is a text transcript of our contact. I am writing it verbatim.

Friday 11.12.09

9.31am : Me: Pls be kind enough to return Grassmarket. 42 Mbonu St PH. Or my colleague Alex will pick up. Thanks.

10.26am: Ion: I think we will be screening it tonight at Silver bird.

10.30am Me: Thank you. Pls confirm time when u know – I think d actors would love to be there.

10.55am: Ion: Will confirm shortly.

1.56am: Me: Do you know d time yet?

2.16pm: It will be one of 2 outdoor screenings for the people – 9 pm at presidential music field.

At this stage, I should have pulled the plug, from an indoor cinema to an outdoor show. It reminded me of B-Movies being shown in sleazy and cheap drive-ins. Anyhow I didn’t because we had already started receiving calls – word had leaked that Grassmarket was on. You see the film has never been shown.

Emma Okutuate – of Sosei fame - (he stars along with Sam Dede) came in from Yenagoa that night, everyone around, cast and crew gathered at the field. Nobert Young could not make it from Lagos. Those who did,waited and waited, and waited. Around 10.20pm Sam left in disgust, 10.40 nothing. No showing. The white woman in charge (not the frenzied Caterina) told my colleague that ‘she cannot speak to him’. What embarrassment.

Ion did not call, text or anything. No explanation. We are house niggers I tell you.

As I write this Monday am Ion has not called. It will be nice though if they return my DVD of Grassmarket. I will put out the Paean to Port Harcourt online for free, in the next day or so.

I now understand why some filmmakers just don’t do festivals. I have done Edinburgh (the oldest continuous film festival in the world), it was a delight. No where else in the world would your film be shown without your credit – No Where, but in PH. We were roundly humiliated by Ion. Columbus Iriosanga, Adonye Omubo Pepple..the list goes on and on. We have arts administrators who would throw our money at foreigners, outsiders – Uncles Toms, fawning oafs all - and who will happily grind our product down. Shame, but me I am no one’s house nigger.

Finally I hope PH has benefitted from this free-fest because filmmaking hasn’t.

Deinbofa Ere.

Sofaya Film Co. PH. Dec 14.12.09