BAFTA-nominee film makers bring JANEEMO to Scottish schools
BAFTA-nominee film makers bring JANEEMO to Scottish schools
Two budding documentary makers have created an educational film about JANEEMO. It will be premiered in December 2009 and be distributed to Scottish schools over the next year.
Julian and Sabine stayed in Nyangu village, in Malawi’s Chikwawa district, for September. Their film follows the life of two young Malawians, and their choices at important moments in their lives. One is strongly involved in promoting JANEEMO, the other is considering a move to South Africa. Farming or ‘South’ – what will it be?
Nyangu village is representative of much of rural Malawi, its people’s lives and choices. Only 4% of Malawians, mainly city-dwellers, are connected to the electricity grid. Most people in rural areas use wood for fuel. The film will bring JANEEMO to life and touch on curriculum themes of citizenship and sustainable development. It will form the centrepiece of a teacher’s pack, and will be distributed through Scottish schools and tour film festivals.
Julian Krubasik, 25, and Sabine Hellmann, 29, both from Germany, were selected from six applicant pairs from the Edinburgh College of Art's documentary-making courses. Julian has recently been nominated for a 2009 BAFTA New Talent Award. Sabine has filmed documentaries on biofuels, and the choice between nuclear and wind power.
They describe their proposal: “A narrator will tell the stories of two young people in the village. Chibaya is distributing Janeemo to his fellow villagers and is busily planning his wedding to Victoria. Joseph is finishing school is working out what to do in the future. His big dream is to go to South Africa to become a truck driver.”
The film will subliminally ask, what is a better choice for young Malawians, staying in their village to change things for the better or trying their luck abroad to earn money to send home? We will be able to cover themes of future aspirations, daily life, community and education”.
The education pack is being developed and distributed with Learning and Teaching Scotland and Grantown Grammar School. It includes teacher notes, exercises and games and a comic.
Other education team members, whose help is gratefully acknowledged, are Emma Davie and Noe Mendelle of Edinburgh College of Art, Grant Davidson and Clare Neely of the Macaulay Institute, Ian Edwards of Edinburgh's Royal Botanic Garden and Dugal McCrow of Grantown Grammar School.
