"A Job for Crazy People"

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Filming the Filmmaker: Samba Gadjigo
Professor of French Samba Gadjigo knew that making a film in Africa would be difficult at best. But he also knew it would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. So Gadjigo traveled, digital camera in hand, to a set in Burkina Faso to capture the work of Africa's cinematic master, Ousmane Sembene.

During two weeks on the set of Moolaadé in the spring of 2002, Professor Gadjigo captured Sembene, then 79 years old, working 12-hour days in a dusty, African village where midday temperatures usually exceeded 100 degrees. It was the first time that Sembene, widely credited as the father of African film, had allowed an outside camera to document his work.

Released by New Yorker Films in early 2005, Gadjigo's The Making of Moolaadé illustrates the difficulty of making a film in Africa. In interview after interview, more than a dozen actors, production personnel, and others connected with the film, describe the challenges presented by the environment and the scarcity of funding.

"It's an adventure, a job for crazy people," said one production adviser. "Every film that gets made is a miracle."