Rahel Tewelde works at the Film and Drama Branch of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the PFDJ and is also a film director. Her film, Shekorinatat was selected to represent Eritrea at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2008. On the occasion of the third China-Eritrea Film Week, which her department helps to coordinate with the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China, we asked her to share with us some thoughts on the purpose of such festivals.

Q: First, can you tell us about your work as a director?

Rahel Tewelde: I began by writing scripts for small dramas that were staged during the national holydays festival, such as Deleit in 2004. As concerns films, I wrote the script for Hdget in 2004 and I also directed and wrote the script for Shekorinatat in 2007, which was the movie selected to be presented at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival in the category of Women Film Directors.

Q: What was it like to take part in one of the world’s most famous film festivals and represent your country?

R.T: I presented my movie and I had the opportunity to talk about the current situation in Eritrean filmmaking. I did several interviews and met with film directors, producers, people from all over the world that are in the film business. It was great exposure to meet people with different life experiences and perspectives. It was great exposure for me as an Eritrean filmmaker.

Q: Coming back to Eritrea, how many film festivals are there?

R.T: So far, there has been three each year: there is the China-Eritrea Film Week. The French-Eritrean Film Festival, and The European Film Week.

Q: When did the China-Eritrea Film Week begin and what is different about it?

R.T: This is the third time the festival is taking place since 2007. This year the festival included 7 Chinese movies and 5 Eritrean movies. It took place from the 14 to the 20 of October at Cinema Asmara. What is different with the China-Eritrea Film Week is that since 2008, two Chinese films have been dubbed in Tigrinya and presented at the festival. Last year’s film was The Knot. And this year we dubbed The One Man Olympic. For this purpose we had to do the translation and use a dubbing director and actors for the voices in Tigrinya.

Q: You first watched these movies with English subtitles and how was it to see them spoken in Tigrinya?
R.T: When you follow a movie with the subtitles it is more distant, you miss certain things, and you are not able to get the whole thing at once. After it is dubbed, you feel closer to the story and thus to the culture.

Q: How do you select the movies for the festival?

R.T: We look a several films and choose the ones that reflect more the Chinese culture. That is the purpose of the festival. To show films that carry authentic meaning and that are original. We are not looking for Hollywood type movies that can be found anywhere. We try to choose meaningful, unique, expressive movies.

Q: What was your favorite film among the Chinese selection?

R.T: The one I liked most, that touched me the most is titled “Shower.” It is about the relationship between a father and his grownup children. One of his sons is deaf and the movie is about emotional relationships, parental love and what the father wants to pass on to his children. It is a very touching movie. The father runs a business, which is a traditional bathhouse, and one of his sons runs a modern shower establishment in the city, and when he comes to visit his father in the village he tries to convince him to modernize his business. Very moving, emotional conflicts are drawn from this situation: the father’s desire to conserve his tradition and the son’s desire to move him towards modernity. First we are shown the way modern showers function in the city and then how, in the village, people are washed by hand with care and massaged in the traditional bathhouses. The movie shows the importance of cultural traditions and how they help in holding family bonds. Traditional ways of life are not backwards but rather meaningful and must be preserved. The movie allows us to see elements that are proper to the culture of China, and what must be kept from its traditions.

Q: And as a filmmaker yourself, what effect did this story have on you?

R.T: It made me feel I wished it was my story. I wish to have traditions that can be kept in such a way. It means to me that I have to find out what kind of traditions in our culture must be preserved. Traditional values such as love in family relations and the respect for one another for example. Modernization should not be taken as an opportunity to trample over such values. I believe people should be able to identify the positive aspects of our traditions and use them for the good of society.

Q: This festival is titled China-Eritrea Film Week, so what about the Eritrean movies that were selected?

R.T: We made a selection from the most recent films that were awarded stars (best rated) by the EFRC (Eritrean Film Rating Committee). But there is also a selection of older movies like Eta Adde, Ablel, Hdget. The newer movies are Sheyak and Adheneni.

Q: How do you think Eritrean filmmakers can benefit from such festivals?

R.T: First I think they can learn about story presentation and second they can learn about film making techniques and styles. But, again, only watching is not enough. There should be discussions and critical analysis of the films.

Q: What are your hopes and expectations for film festivals in the future?

R.T: I would love to see such events incorporate more activities such as workshops and discussions on filmmaking. Eritrean filmmakers are most often self-taught. They would certainly benefit from such events developing into training opportunities or film scholarships.

Q: Do you think we should have more of such events throughout the year?

R.T: It does not have to be film festivals, but step by step festivals will help people become used to foreign films. This should lead us to have more access to the best foreign movies to be translated or dubbed and distributed. And thus festivals will become a way to exchange culture in a wide range. For example, we would be able to choose the best movies during festivals and then try to give some of them the opportunity to be seen by a wider audience. Festivals can be standardized and not only be a time to show movies. As I said before, festivals can be an opportunity to give seminars, workshops and to exchange experiences. Festivals can also be competitive, the best movies can enter a competition, get a prize, or be distributed. That is the way I see the future of Eritrean film festivals.

Thank you so much Rahel for sharing your thoughts with us.