Ruben Latre of Hostage Films directed this short film which is part of Samsung's ongoing social responsibility efforts. The piece (a special trailer for which is linked to this story) introduces us to the Oromia Region of Ethiopia where there is no running water and no electricity.
Due to remoteness and travel restrictions, Latre was brought onboard as director, DP, and crew of one; shooting two cameras on location. It was a stark contrast to New York City, where the director is based. The village houses are made of straw; the floors, of dirt. The technology for metalwork and fabric resembles colonial American museums. Similarities were abundant as well; people are people everywhere.
The film tells the story of a young girl Aster and her village, whose lives are transformed by the gift of light.
Samsung's contribution to the region, in partnership with a local NGO, comes in the form of solar panels that, in turn, are used to charge lanterns; providing the only light source to the dark terrain, other than the sun.
Agency is Agenda, NY.
Latre was in SHOOT's 2011 New Directors Showcase.
Jennifer Kent On Why Her Feature Directing Debut, “The Babadook,” Continues To Haunt Us
"The Babadook," when it was released 10 years ago, didn't seem to portend a cultural sensation.
It was the first film by a little-known Australian filmmaker, Jennifer Kent. It had that strange name. On opening weekend, it played in two theaters.
But with time, the long shadows of "The Babadook" continued to envelop moviegoers. Its rerelease this weekend in theaters, a decade later, is less of a reminder of a sleeper 2014 indie hit than it is a chance to revisit a horror milestone that continues to cast a dark spell.
Not many small-budget, first-feature films can be fairly said to have shifted cinema but Kent's directorial debut may be one of them. It was at the nexus of that much-debated term "elevated horror." But regardless of that label, it helped kicked off a wave of challenging, filmmaker-driven genre movies like "It Follows," "Get Out" and "Hereditary."
Kent, 55, has watched all of this — and those many "Babadook" memes — unfold over the years with a mix of elation and confusion. Her film was inspired in part by the death of her father, and its horror elements likewise arise out of the suppression of emotions. A single mother (Essie Davis) is struggling with raising her young son (Noah Wiseman) years after the tragic death of her husband. A figure from a pop-up children's book begins to appear. As things grow more intense, his name is drawn out in three chilling syllables — "Bah-Bah-Doooook" — an incantation of unprocessed grief.
Kent recently spoke from her native Australia to reflect on the origins and continuing life of "The Babadook."
Q: Given that you didn't set out to in any way "change" horror, how have you regarded the unique afterlife of "The... Read More