Umutoma/Sweetnothings: when film meets poetry (Review)

This festivals friendly film premiered at Luxor African Film Festival back in March this year, where it won the Jury’s heart who mentioned it as the best artistic film thanks to this blend of 2 art-forms – film and poetry.

The protagonist uses the poetry to offers Imitoma (a Kinyarwanda word meaning “romantic sweet words”) to his dream-girlfriend, Bwiza, whom they grew up together. This gives this film another taste beyond cinematic, as a meeting between film and poetry.

When asked about the reason he chose to blend these two art-forms, John Kwezi's comment is as simple as “actually I’m a poet. Even before making films I was a poet and stage writer. So, it’s my uniqueness to use one of Rwandan cultural artistry in my films. Poetry is one of them, which I’m sure I’m talented in. This will not be limited to my first film; I will continue to do so in my future projects. Just to uphold my country’s identity in my films.”

Umutoma/Sweetnothings. Photo: Almond Tree Films Rwanda

This disappointing love story (as I’m sure every audience is stuck to the protagonist) which ends up with the protagonist losing the girl of his dream which lead him to the alexithymic trauma of deception is a portrayal of modern romance in which young ladies are stranded in laptic choices between many men for who to go with...

As the 39-years old director says, the film was inspired by his experience and the society observation. “This story came from the society observation, but most importantly from my experience. Many times I say that this is my story that I told.” John Kwezi said.

John Kwezi at Luxor, holding a certificate of his film win

During the production of the film, the director says that he confronted many challenges including motorcycle accident which put the project on the verge of halt. This led him to recast other actors due to the end of contracts of those he casted before, which ended before the production kicks off.

“In the midst of preproduction, when I was casting and scouting my locations, I had a motorcycle accident. This pushed me to stop the project to wait for recover. The time it took me to recover, is the time the contract I signed with my actors was ending. So, they quit the project and when I put my feet down again, I was obliged to recast new actors. Many people don’t know this, but those actors who they see in film, are not those they were supposed to see if the accident did not happen.” John added.

The film stars Rwandan parliament member, filmmaker, actor and public speaker Eduard Bamporiki as the protagonist who struggles to own a girl despite his low financial status. It stars Yves Nkusi as a young and promising gentleman who has to win the girl over Richard, and Kate Katabarwa as Bwiza, the girl who must make a choice.

Produced through Almond Tree Films Rwanda with the post production handled by Samples Studios, the film was produced by Lee Isaac Chung (producer of Munyurangabo, 2007), written and directed by John Kwezi who co-wrote the script with Philbert Mbabazi. The film is on festival circuit where after its world premiere at LAFF, it was screened at inaugural Mashariki African Film Festival this year, Ecrans Noir Festival in Cameroon; it will be screened at Silicon Valley African Film Festival in California this month, inaugural Maisha Film Festival in Uganda in December, among others, and is available online on Buni.tv (Click to watch it)

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