Screen Out Loud Premieres Cesaria Evora Documentary, Launches Research Journal

Yinka Olatunbosun

At its debut festival, Screen Out Loud, a film-oriented cultural staple domiciled at Alliance Française, Ikoyi Lagos screened for the first time in Nigeria the 94-minute documentary by Ana Sofia Fonseca, titled Cesaria Evora. The movie is centred on the biographical account of the legendary singer from Cape Verde, who soared to the peak of her music career but battled with depression and stroke.

Using real footage from her concerts, tours, daily life and international press interviews, the documentary relives the story of this strong woman, highlighting themes of freedom, racial and gender inequalities. The protagonist is portrayed as a generous, care-free and unconventional female singer who broke the stereotype for women in music in her time. Her voice was good enough to retain her stardom. Cesaria didn’t need to wear stilettos to feel like a woman or a star nor does she need a major surgery to enhance her looks.

But when she lost her voice, she couldn’t deal with that dark reality; she sunk deeper into depression and alcoholism. Her story also amplifies the impact of a musician’s fame and wealth on his or her mental health and raises the question of conservatorship.

When an artist is incapable of exercising good judgment especially where spending his income is concerned, the laws in advanced countries allow a legal guardian to take over the artist’s asset as seen in the case of British pop princess, Britney Spears. But the cycle of abuse reported in most conservatorship cases has made the system a questionable solution to artist’s personal management. In Cesaria Evora’s case, it was clear that she needed medical attention but she refused to accept the recommended treatment until her passing.

The tragic end of a singer who fought poverty in her early years left the auditorium at the Mike Adenuga Centre completely silent, with the ambience thick with emotions. It was a moment that marked the opening movie experience at “Extended Play” a festival of films organised by Screen Out Loud. On July 24, the animation movie titled Chico & Rita will end the festival.

The founder and programmer, Screen Out Loud, Aderinsola Ajao described the Extended Play as a “community effort.” Screen Out Loud began a film screening culture in Lagos in October 2019 to promote independent cinema from around the world and encourage discourse around film and the moving image.

The festival was kicked off with a keynote address by the award-winning writer and journalist, Ms. Molara Wood with the theme “Counterpoints: Intersections in Film and Music.” In it, she made recommendations for Nigerian filmmakers who are interested in producing movies with original songs.

“Filmmakers should form partnerships with musicians who share their vision, for the creation of original compositions for film projects, before those films are made. This also enriches the works and careers of our musicians,” she said.

Quite surprisingly, Screen Out Loud presented to the public its first issue of the research journal “Audiovisual Crossroads”, which is a collection of essays that explore the convergence of music and the moving image, thus showcasing the rich and diverse interactions between both genres. With foreword by Dr. Akin Adesokan, the journal is a product of the efforts of five contributors drawn from the culture sector. 

While introducing the journal, Ajao said: “What you will discover here is an eclectic blend of subject matters exploring both artistic genres from different angles, representative of-but not limited to-how we interact with music and/or film.”

The titles in the collection include “Music, Movies and Memories” by Michaela Moye; “The Evolution of Original Music in Nollywood” by Franklin Ugobude; “Morality in Yoruba Movie Soundtracks” by Akintayo Abodunrin; “Music That Matters: Socio-Political Soundscapes on Screen” by Yinka Olatunbosun and “Audio-Visual Experiments in New-Form Ethnographic Documentaries” by Santasil Mallik.