Interviewed
by Kate Endeley
What does a
young Nigerian boy who adores
movies do when he moves to a
booming metropolis like Chicago?
Well, he becomes a film director
of course. For the past few
years, Francis Ukpolo has been
creating a name for himself, in
Chi-town’s independent film
circuit. His latest film "ADIA"
is creating a buzz with its
inside look into arranged
marriages in Africa. The
23-year-old Columbia College
graduate recently sat down with
AFRIQUE to talk about his love
for film making, his quest to
reinvent the Nigerian film
industry and much more.
Afrique:
When did you know that you
wanted to be a film maker? Your
“aha” moment.
Ukpolo: I
have always been a film geek
filled with lots of ideas, and I
used to think, “if I could only
tell my ideas to a director". At
17, I started acting. I watched
how the director ran the set and
worked with the actors. The
lights, the cameras, the lenses,
the whole set was very exciting
for me. The film crew would make
calculations and say things like
"I'm reading an F-stop of 5.8,
lets put a double on that 2k". I
wanted to know what they where
talking about, I wanted to know
how to work the cameras and make
my own films. That's when I knew
I wanted to be a filmmaker.
Afrique:
Tell me about your most recent
film ADIA?
Ukpolo:
Adia is about a 14- year- old
girl who gets sold into marriage
by her father. I don't just like
to make films to entertain, I
like to makes films that send a
message. The reason I decided to
tell this story is to enlighten
people of what goes on in many
countries all around the world.
We shot ADIA in Hopkins Park,
which is a small village in
Kankakee, Illinois. It was shot
in three days we filmed for four
to six hours each day. I had a
talented crew and an amazing
cast that made everything
easier. I was very lucky to get
a lot of equipment for free from
Columbia College. So the budget
ended up being low enough for me
to fund it myself.
Afrique: So
many Nigerian filmmakers have
emerged and Nollywood (the
Nigerian film industry) is
growing fast. However, your film
definitely does not fit the
Nollywood mold. How do you feel
about the whole Nollywood
movement?
Ukpolo: I'm
a fan of Nollywood films. I
respect the Nollywood industry.
It’s the third largest film
industry next to Hollywood, and
Bollywood, but I have to be
honest. The quality of Nollywood
films is way behind. Many people
say Nollywood is improving, but
I think they are just using
better cameras. I've never made
a Nollywood film and I never
will. But I hope to re-invent
the Nollywood industry. There
are a few Nigerian filmmakers
like Pascal Atuma, Ime Etuk, and
some young filmmakers in London
who are all working towards the
same goal. So I know that
Nollywood will step up in a few
years, all it needs is a new
wave of talented filmmakers.
Afrique:
What advice do you have for
other aspiring filmmakers out
there?
Ukpolo: A
teacher at Columbia College once
told me "In this industry, you
can't wait for someone to offer
you a position; you have to
create your own position." If
you want to be successful in
Hollywood, you have to keep in
mind that it is business before
talent out there. If you want to
be a successful indie filmmaker,
you just have to keep making
films that are unique. You want
people to be able to identify
your film from just watching a
scene. Get your films in
festivals, network, and get to
know other filmmakers and
collaborate with them.
Afrique: Do
you have any other projects in
the works?
Ukpolo:
Right now I'm focused on telling
African stories. I'm working on
my first feature film. It's
called "The Prince of Gideon".
It is based on a true story
about corruption in a high
school in Nigeria. I hate the
comparison, but people who have
read it say its like "City of
God" meets "Dueces Wild". Right
now I'm raising funds for the
film. I plan to shoot it in
Nigeria at the end of the year.
You can check out the synopsis
and storyboards on my website
www.francispolo.com
Afrique:
Where do you see yourself
(professionally) in the next
five years?
Ukpolo: In
five years I would almost be 30.
That's a long time. By then I
hope to be receiving an Oscar. I
know that's setting the bar
high, but I believe that my
ambition, my talent, and my
faith in God can take me there.
Francis
Trivia:
The best
part of my job is: working with
the actors on set, and having a
few outtakes with the cast and
crew.
The worst
part of my job is: not getting
enough sleep. I'm usually too
excited about the project to
sleep.
Every good
filmmaker must have: a voice, a
point of view. A cinematic
approach that is unique
The
best-made film I’ve ever seen
is: "8 1/2" by Federico Fellini,
because the cinematography is
amazing. The film could be
interpreted in so many ways. I
find something new every time I
watch it.
A good spot
in Chicago where you can network
with other filmmakers is:
Columbia College because there
are a lot of young talented
filmmakers who think outside of
the box
The
filmmakers who have inspired me
are: Fernando Meirelles, because
he makes the films I would love
to make, and he is also the
Director of my favorite film
"City of God". I love his
cinematic approach and I feel
like I can learn a lot from his
films.
By Jeremiah
Seraphine
Chicago’s
African American community has
been instrumental in the
development of new genres, and
leaps ahead in music since the
great migration from the south
that spawned Chicago Blues and
the Chicago jazz sound. In the
early 1980’s, Chicago’s African
American community gave birth to
a more recent innovation, House
music.
House
music, a derivative of disco, is
characterized by a
“four-on-the-floor” beat (a
heavy 4/4 kick drum on every
beat) and the use of electronic
elements such as synthesized
bass lines and digital samples.
Scores of genres and subgenres
including techno, broken beat,
nu jazz, electro clash, trance,
garage, and top 40 dance have
roots that can be traced back to
Chicago house music.
The term
“house music” owes its origin to
Dance Music Hall of Fame
inductee, Frankie Knuckles. In
the late 70’s and early 80’s he
was the resident DJ at the
Warehouse nightclub that was
located on Halsted and
Randolph. His blend of disco
classics, euro, new wave, and
industrial became known as the
Warehouse sound, later truncated
into the house sound.
From its
inception, house music in the
United States was largely under
the pop radar due to it being
championed primarily in the
Black and Latino gay community.
It wasn’t until it was exported
to Europe in the late 80’s that
it became a widely recognized
genre both in Europe and the
United States. In 1987, Steve
“Silk” Hurley, a Chicago based
artist released, “Jack Your
Body,” the first house song to
reach #1 on the UK Top 40 Pop
Charts. Within two years house
music broke into the US Top 40
Pop Charts with Technotronic’s
“Pump Up the Jam.” A year later
in 1990 Madonna released “Vogue”
propelling her album Breathless
to double platinum status.
Chicago’s
rich house music heritage has
prompted the question: Why isn’t
there a house music festival
akin to the Jazzfest, and
Bluesfest, in Chicago?
Brian
Keigher of the City of Chicago’s
Department of Cultural Affairs
told AFRIQUE that a Chicago
House Music Festival is “long
over due.” He has been working
hard to lay the groundwork to
make a city sponsored house
music festival possible with the
wildly popular DJ Series at
Summer Dance, which wasn’t
funded in 2007. Keigher pointed
out that last years’ failed Move
festival at Northerly Island’s
Charter One Pavilion didn’t help
the cause. The festival
organizers were granted $250,000
from the State of Illinois to
produce the event, which drew a
dismal crowd due to astronomical
ticket prices. Many industry
insiders have speculated that
the festival could have easily
been a free event.
Keigher
explained that if a house music
festival is ever to happen in
Chicago it would come from the
community. The Bluesfest he
explained happened because the
owner of Chicago based Alligator
Records put it all together and
proposed that the Mayor’s Office
of Special Events should
acknowledge Chicago Blues. Now,
25 years later the festival is a
Chicago institution.
On
September 15th and 16th the
Afrique Rhythm Fest at the
outdoor mall of Truman College
will feature several of
Chicago’s world renowned house
music talents including Mr.
A.L.I., Andre Harris, and DJ
Monna.
36 Lions Soccer Tournament
It started
on the night before the 20th of
July with the kids. U-16, U-14,
U-12 teams played a friendly
game against each other. After
the 45-min game, all the kids
received free balls, shin
guards, and an autograph signing
by African International
players; Ugochukwu Okoye and
Stephen Daniel from Nigeria,
Aron Simutowe and Emmanuel
Chibale from Zambia. The Kids
had a lot of fun and it was
great way to start of the
festivities. These events were
organized by 36 LION and THE
LITE both of which are
non-for-profit organizations.
Their main goal is to help kids
in the community reach their
goals not only through sports
but through other positive
means.
If your
community or organization is
having an event worthy of
notice, Afrique would like to
hear about it. Please send in
your photos in digital format
(JPEG/PDF, 180 dpi) and a brief
description of what it is. We'd
gladly publice it here on the
AFRIQUE WALL section.
You may
contact us for further
information: afriquepublishing@gmail.com
UPTOWN
SUMMER UNITY FEST
This year
Alderman Helen Shiller and her
crew pulled off another
wonderful Uptown Summer Unity
Festival. Over 4,000 people from
and around the community
attended the event. Everyone was
there, from the lakeshore rich
to the poor, Russians,
Romanians, Asians, Africans,
Whites, and more all
participated. Lively
performances included some of
the new Chicago movers and
shakers such as Kaotic Drumline,
Margaret Murphy Quartet, Alisa
Simms, Esso, and many other
community talents.
This
thirteenth annual fest was
unforgettable to all who
attended. Adults enjoyed a full
day of exciting live music,
dancing, poetry, and free
manicures from the cosmology
students from the Truman
College, while the kids were
fully entertained with the
petting zoo, karate tournaments,
and other activities.
Great
entertainment and sizzling food
weren’t the only part of the
program. Attendees were also
able to get free blood pressure
and blood sugar screening
throughout the day to raise
their health awareness.
With
countless sponsors and vendors,
the festival was a great
success. Denice Davis, the head
organizer of the event informed
Afrique that the proceeds would
go into funding for education.
Every graduating 8th grader will
be able to get a scholarship
ranging up to 200 dollars at the
Uplift School.
By Rodney
Lee Jones Jr.
Public
education is supposed to be a
wonderful, modern, liberal idea.
However today, we take it for
granted. The exchange between
student and teacher is the core
of education. Unfortunately,
statistics show that neither
teachers nor students are
showing up enough in a
semester’s worth of class! Our
system must change in order for
our Chicago students to make the
national achievement standard.
National
Education Reform is supposed to
put a high priority on
graduation rates. Nearly
one-third of students do not
graduate from high school
nationally. In Chicago, nearly
half of its students do not
graduate due to failure or
dropouts. Students who were
“on-track” at the end of their
freshmen year of high school
were nearly four times more
likely to graduate than those
who were not on-track. On-track
means having at least ten
semester credits and no more
than one semester F in a core
course. The average CPS
freshman GPA is below 2.0 out of
4.0. 40 percent of freshmen miss
more than four weeks of school.
Why are they missing so much
school? Maybe it’s because there
is no one to teach them!
More than
one million teachers (a third of
the teaching workforce) are in
job transition annually. One
study said that teachers in
high-poverty, underperforming
schools leave at a rate as high
as 39 percent after one single
year of teaching. This creates
instability within the school
community, and ultimately
affects student achievement.
District
policymakers believe retention
rates will greatly improve, if
there is a more structured
manner to orient, assist, and
guide new teachers. From 1990 to
2000, across the nation, the
percentage of teachers who
received such an orientation
jumped from 41 percent to 79
percent.
The problem
was, not all orientation, or
"induction" programs, had the
same goals. Some merely helped a
teacher become acclimated to a
new school, or focus on
developing instructional
practices, and some merely seek
to evaluate and assess-to weed
out those who are better vs. ill
suited for the demands of
teaching. Some induction
programs last only a day, while
others are multi-year programs
offering a wide range of
assistance, including mentoring
programs and professional
development seminars.
I recently
had a conversation with a middle
school teacher (who requested to
remain anonymous, so lets call
her Rose), who has been teaching
for the past nine years. Rose
felt that even with parental
involvement, one of paramount
importance to effective
education and community building
had its downsides within the
school system. On one hand,
parental involvement was helpful
for fundraising, chaperoning and
daily routines, etc. but “some
parents try to dictate what
should and should not occur in
the child’s classroom, down to
the positioning of a teacher.”
Rose said. “It is natural to
want the best for your own
child, but many forget the other
25 or so students who are also
in the class. This is the
tragedy of American public
education, where so many
children are left behind due to
poor administration of the
system.”
Parental
involvement sometimes discourage
teachers. Teachers’ daily
demands and short-term
supportive roles often disabled
a more “systematic and sustained
developmental focus on
instructional improvement.
Teachers rarely organized or
initiated regular collective
discussions or similar community
based activities. It isolated or
made it impossible to document
corrective actions in
individualized situations, and
slowed down the formal,
proactive, far-reaching,
systemic changes.
Our system
is not working. The teachers are
underpaid and poorly prepared,
and this results in
undereducated students. A
nationalized standard must be
coupled with a nationalized
system. We should take cues from
other states or countries that
have been more successful than
we have. However, I am afraid
that there are too many people
who stand to gain from the
epidemic of ignorance,
negligence, poverty, and apathy,
and this is why everyone is
running away from the schools.
Rodney Lee
Jones Jr., a former substitute
teacher who has survived the
Chicago Public School System.
Please send your comments and
concerns to
cliafriquenews@gmail.com
