The series, rooted in research, forms part of OneLove, the cross-border HIV prevention campaign which tackles the issue of multiple concurrent partners. The campaign, led by the Soul City Institute in South Africa, works in partnership with nine other Southern African countries as well as regional partners and has been rolling out since October 2008.
Love - Stories in a time of HIV & AIDS aims to build on the success of the Untold television series which earned international recognition and was shown at film festivals in both Europe and America. Harriet Perlman, head of the Soul City regional programme explains; “Untold - stories in a time of HIV & AIDS, was our first regional film series for TV, which brought together stories from nine southern African countries. It was broadcast on public television in 2009 across nine countries in the region and research showed that the series was hugely successful. Audiences from across southern Africa identified with the films. The Untold series, developed in collaboration with Curious Pictures, also saw new and exciting talent emerge, both in front of and behind the camera. Many were first-timers, who were part of our large-scale capacity building programme.”
Love - Stories in a time of HIV & AIDS, is also the culmination of a capacity building programme, in which 120 people (writers, producers, technical crew and directors from 10 countries) were trained and mentored in the development and production of effective and entertaining drama. Training happened both in workshops and on location.
Perlman explains, “In collaboration with Curious Pictures, an intensive training programme was devised drawing on the skills and support from some of the best people in the industry.”
Yula Quinn, series producer says the intention of the capacity building programme was to “transfer skills and enhance the film-makers abilities from scriptwriting through to post-production, in a practical way. Learners were supported and mentored on pre- production, during filming and in post-production by leading industry experts. After the filmmakers had done a rough cut in their own country, they were taken through the process of final editing in South Africa.”
Brent Quinn, an SA film and television writer and teacher, was head of story development on both Untold and The Love stories. He believes that the training is creating a solid foundation to build skills and careers in this region. "It's a whole new way to build national and regional capacity in filmmaking. There are very few opportunities for filmmakers to learn and show their work at the same time,” he says, “When the films have been shown to audiences, they have loved them. I believe that they could stand up to any film market in the world. Well-written stories that resonate with audiences are so important in the fight against HIV and AIDS. These films are empowering new voices in the industry.”
Robyn Aronstam, a director who works both locally and internationally, ran workshops on continuity and mentored the director for the Swaziland production. “It was very important to be placed in the filmmakers' context and have to grapple with their challenges such as a shortage of actors, or difficulties in accessing equipment. When we were mentoring, we tried not to sway the filmmakers' vision but rather to support them in what they were trying to achieve.”
Samkeliso Nxumalo, the Swaziland director of Bloodlines, who worked with Robyn commented, “The expertise gained from listening and interacting with experienced people in the industry is huge. It gives you a clear picture of where you are, where you need to be and what you need to do to get to a higher level.”
Rolie Nikiwe, director of the South African love story Umtshato, also ran a workshop for directors from across the region. “Southern Africa is an untapped market of potential, a gold mine of stories,” he says. “Everyone was really keen to learn.”
Nealen Jacobs, the art director on the Namibian production thought that the training process had empowered the team to be more confident. “I have never had any formal education in film. This was the best thing for me.”
Jamie Bartlett, a well known South African actor, was one of many mentors who supported the film teams. He worked with the director and actors on location in both Namibia and Tanzania. Maria Sarungi, producer and director on the Tanzanian film says the process was, “very helpful. It helped me understand the necessary preparation and bring out the best from the actors.”
These Love stories showcase films from Swaziland, South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Namibia. All films have English subtitles.
The series is sponsored by BP and DFID.
