Press conference for A Screaming Man (Un Homme qui crie) by Mahamat Saleh-Haroun

The press conference of the film A Screaming Man by Mahamat Saleh-Haroun was held at midday. The director was accompanied by actors Emile Abossolo M’bo, Youssouf Djaoro, Diouc Koma and editor Marie-Hélène Dozo. Extraits.

The impact of conflicts on the film:

Mahamat Saleh-Haroun: Last week, there were still confrontations. Violence is still there. But when you are shooting a film, you either have to overcome it or capture it and include it in your film. In this situation, you can’t entertain. My parents prayed while we shot the film for the entire crew to return safely home.

On the choice of shooting in French:

Mahamat Saleh-Haroun: I speak French and I am Chadian. It’s the official language together with Arabic. I was also a pragmatic choice, as not everyone in our film crew spoke Arabic. That is the situation in my country, people speak French in Chad.

On the recurring theme of father/son relationships:

Mahamat Saleh-Haroun: If I talk about them often, it’s because this war has been perpetrated by men, and it has been handed down from father to son. I also believe that there’s no father of African cinematography, there’s no point of reference. 

On the title:

Marie-Hélène Dozo: It’s a scream against the silence of God.

Emile Abossolo M’bo: Whatever African country you look at, the problems are always the same, with a few nuances. We are always fighting wars, but not a single African country manufactures weapons, so the only entity we can question is God. 

Mahamat Saleh-Haroun: It’s a quote from Aimée Césaire, “A screaming Man is not a dancing bear.” If there is a lesson in this film, it’s how to turn from spectator into player to change the course of history. 

On working with the director:

Diouc Koma: It was a wonderful experience, we had already worked on a film together before. I chose a minimalist style of acting to lose my Parisian side and really get under the skin of a young Chadian man.

GF