African Moviemakers Using Cell Phones to Shoot Films

Kiripi Katembo Siku is a student filmmaker living in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Unlike most moviemakers today who arm themselves with cameras and sound equipment, Siku shot his debut film using nothing more than his cell phone.

The film, titled "Cardboard Car," gives viewers a unique glimpse into the daily street life of Kinshasa, the capital of DR Congo. Filmmakers in the country, although it is officially named a democratic republic, are far from being free to tell their stories without political intervention. To circumvent being censored by government officials, Siku devised a unique strategy for telling his story.

Siku affixed his cell phone to a small Siku, tied the car to a string, turned the phone to the film setting, and handed the leash to a small girl to pull along behind her as she strolled through the city streets. The resulting film, only 7 minutes long, gives viewers a secret look at the real-life goings on of the country’s capital. Siku says that using a mobile phone gives him the chance to film regular people in situations where he would ordinarily not be able to film. Because mobile phones are small, affordable, and easy to work with, he is able to film more closely and discreetly than he would be able to with a regular camera.

The government of DR Congo tries to stifle reports about the corruption and poverty in the country, and as a result, filming permits are almost never granted to Congolese filmmakers. By refusing to give locals permission to film locally, the government can officially weed out anyone who might want to be critical of the government through showing the real country in a film. Anyone who tries to controvert authorities by filming without permission, whether or not their mission is to show the real DR Congo, is subject to being arrested, heavily fined, or worse.

French filmmaker Marie-Dominique Dhelsing held a workshop last year about making films with mobile phones, and that workshop is where Siku learned about the technique. Dhelsing conducts such workshops in several areas around the world to help people discover ways to tell the stories of their deprived regions and government oppression. Her workshops were designed for students at Kinshasa’s only arts school, the Académie des Beaux Arts, but Dhelsing encourages underprivileged kids from slums nearby to attend.

Siku still shoots movies using his cell phone. He and several of his colleagues at Dhelsing’s workshop have founded an official group of video artists, YEBELA, who show the films they have created on Kinshasa’s streets. Siku’s debut film has served as a vehicle to show the world his talents, thereby opening the door to a future for him as a filmmaker. "Cardboard Car" has been submitted to 5th Pocket Films Festival, a celebration of cell phone film accomplishments that is scheduled to be held in Paris this summer.