My NATIV Story

It's not that I won, it's that I almost didn't submit because I had written myself off.

On 24th May 2024, I was selected as one of the 12 finalists in the NATIV Shorts 2024 competition. (You can read more about the competition here.) 

My main attraction for participating in the competition was the chance to become part of an African ecosystem of passionate creatives.  Having been selected, our task as finalists was "... creating a 60-second video and 25 evocative photographs that capture the essence of your African heritage while envisioning the future of African content creators in 2050..... At the heart of their creations lies the theme of FAMILY, FOOD, FLAVOUR, open to interpretation according to their unique perspectives from the urban to the rural, a small to a large community." I was truly excited about this challenge considering my passionate love for Africa, Africans, and my desire to help advance us as a whole.

Given that my village people have long since pronounced me a "foodie," I toyed with the idea of making my film into a mini food commercial for African cuisine. However, looking at the bigger picture, I chose to focus on and highlight family as an integral part of our hope and future. Not only that, I chose to promote the currently unpopular patriarchal system and put men at the forefront of my creations. But not in the way patriarchy is right now in Africa, I chose to depict patriarchy in the way God, our creator, designed it to be...

That's a society where men are servant leaders and not tyrannical rulers. Where husbands are an enabling and not disabling factor to their wives.

And that as fathers, men would be ever-present as foundations in their homes, providing a safe space for character development and overall holistic growth of children.

There is no technological advancement that will ever beat a strong family in the development of a nation. No amount of natural resources discovered can pay for or cover up a neglected family.

Uganda has one of the highest rates of single-mother homes in Africa. Apparently 77% of our population is under 25 years of age and from experience, you can hardly find people who have been raised by both parents who are present and active in their lives. This is a more serious threat than your favourite pandemic because it is a threat posed to the roots of our society.

I wrote my scripts both for the photography and videography, discussed with my assigned mentor who was very encouraging and supportive, and then set timelines for execution. 

I had set myself up to do a slow cooking on my creations but due to life's happenings, I had to do not just a fast food, but "a bolting food" My total time spent on the production and post production does not reach even 20 hrs.

When it came to production day, the sky seemingly fell on me at the same time. One of the key child actors and models was ill, and I had to find replacements that evening before the shoot. The other child had been given an unlawful exam on a Saturday by a teacher who decided to do too much on that particular day, so we could only have her with us past noon (I had scheduled to film her in the morning and then do photoshoots in the evening). Armed with only a camera and a lens, I had no equipment that could combat the glaring African sun that day. Therefore, my only window of opportunity was the morning, afternoon, or evening.

By the mercies of God, I ended up with four child actors, and the blessing of children is that you have to work at their speed and comfort. The sun eventually let itself down a bit, and I managed to capture some photos; however, the setback and other technical complications greatly affected my execution of the short. So much so that I decided to trash all the film footage gotten that evening and quickly film something the next morning before having to travel upcountry for a work engagement. My battalion of family and friends decided to spend the night over and facilitate my ambitions.

The next day, on a Sun-day morning, it was raining cats and dogs. After trying to fight the downpour for a while, I surrendered and decided to wait for it to stop. Eventually, it did, and my one-hour window was reduced to minutes. Our filming location had construction happening nearby, and we had to request them to stop for a few minutes so that we could film. They did so reluctantly (my only sound equipment was my phone).

.......etc

My filming had suffered setbacks and delays, so much so that I almost changed the storyline last minute. But my best friend and sister (blessed soul that she is) encouraged me to go on. She spoke passionately about the uniqueness of my story and urged me to still try and film it. So I reluctantly did.

I did the bulk of my editing on June 18, 2024 (the day of the deadline) and submitted it by 8:45 PM. Before submitting, I debated within myself whether I should submit work that I knew very well was below my personal standards and personal best... Why should I embarrass myself on an international platform by submitting inferior work?

However, in the spirit of finishing what you started, I decided to submit it. I submitted with an attitude of "kama mbaya, mbaya"... "Que sera sera" at least I had crossed the finishing line.

I expressed with certainty to my inner circle in a skeptical tone that I had submitted my work, although I was aware that I would not achieve any success or be among the top 3. I believed that the quality of the work was significantly lower than what I am capable of and have accomplished previously. I encouraged myself with the fact that I had picked lessons from the experience and even within that very miserable week, I had picked myself up enough to apply yet again, in another competition.

On Monday, July 8th, as we sat in for the winner announcements via a Zoom call, I didn't have any hope of my film getting mentioned in any way. I was happy with the fact that I at least got to be part of the network and could explore avenues there.

Mind you, this was not my first roadshow. I am, after all, a multi-award-winning filmmaker. However, in this case, I was convinced that I had outright flunked. I felt like I was Michael Jordan, but I had missed the free shot.

The 3rd place winners were announced, then the 2nd place winner... And in my mind, all the films that had prospects to win were done, so who was left...? My heart started beating in my chest, and when I saw my name and film come on the screen as the 1st place winner, I was blown away!! I wanted to go outside and do cartwheels but the zoom meeting was still on so I had to stay... 

My joy and happiness were further enhanced by Elaine's feedback on my film and later Caroline's...

"Esther, your film deeply moved me from beginning to end. It explores themes of family relationships, joy, and the richness of African culture, portraying the vibrant and connected nature of African families. Your skillful storytelling, narrative structure, and character development are exemplary. The editing and sound design further enhance the emotional depth of the story, making it a standout for this year's competition theme. Well done!"

Eline Golembiewski-Besselink - Team Lead Marketing @ Delft Imaging - Sponsors of the award and member of the jury

"Your film beautifully captures the essence of the everyday family while breaking modern stereotypes about fathers and highlighting both parents at the core. The storytelling was truly moving and left us wanting to know more." 

Caroline Kamya - Founder I AM NATIV

During the zoom call, one of the other mentors (not my mentor) Ian Watts said "Your message was simple but powerful"

They got it! They somehow got it! My message got through despite all the chaff I thought it had, they were somehow able to see through the murkiness and appreciate me as a storyteller, and my technical prowess Wow.... Heaven conspires for my good each day, and I am eternally grateful to my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

My message to all of us is this: You remain special, and you remain worth it, even on days you don't feel like it or see it. There will be days you miss the shot, but that doesn't make you any less of a champion. Remain true to yourself, and never give up! Because your flowers are waiting.

My film was all about reminding us of the strength of families and the collective power in community. Isn't it poetic that even in producing this film, that's exactly what got me through?

You can watch the film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgEwCuiGAfg

Find some of the submitted pictures below, cheers!