Guest Post: The Return from Burundi

As regular readers are well aware, I have dedicated the past few Mondays to giving updates about the adventures of our resident Videographer, Christopher Redmond, as he teaches film and media at the Burundi Film Center.

Well, Christopher's back now. And as we plunge him into a busy fall of video and TV projects, I asked Christopher to give us a wrap of his work teaching Burundian aspiring filmmakers and documentarians how to tell their stories to the world through video.

Here it is:

I’m back on Canadian soil, but the rush of Africa is still coursing through my veins. I’ve tried to capture the highlights of what happened on my blog, so please check it out if you didn’t get a chance this summer. You’ll find details from our classes, production and the final gala, along with hopefully some general insight about the country itself.

Overall, the 2010 edition of the Burundi Film Center went better than I could have expected, thanks to all the people around me who refused to let us fail. The 2007 students who volunteered showed tremendous support for us on a daily basis, and made me believe we need to continue. A last minute decision from my friend (and fantastic editor) Carolyn Lecorre to join us also saved the program from falling apart in the third act, when the condensed schedule would have otherwise been our undoing. And Bridget’s presence for the first two thirds once again ensured we were able to present the project properly and professionally, both within the country and to the rest of the world. I also want to re-thank the friends, family and supporters of the project. You took a huge burden off my back by donating money and supporting us all along the way.

So what’s next? The films are currently touring the country in Burundi at open-air screenings, will soon make the international festival circuit and we’re in talks to produce a new documentary in 2011. We hope to hold a Kino Cabaret either next year or in 2012, where we’ll bring filmmakers from around the world to the country to produce their films in 48 hours, then help teach BFC classes. We even have a popular director from Hollywood interested to come teach a class, so the future looks bright. And if you or anyone you know is interested to help out in any way, please feel free to contact me at BFC.

Until then, enjoy!

- Christopher