10th RAI INTERNATIONAL
FESTIVAL OF
ETHNOGRAPHIC FILM
27 JUNE - 2 JULY 2007
UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER
INCORPORATING A MAJOR CONFERENCE:
BEYOND TEXT: SYNAESTHETIC & SENSORY
PRACTICES IN ANTHROPOLOGY
CENTRE FOR SCREEN STUDIES
SCHOOL OF ARTS, HISTORIES AND CULTURES
GRANADA CENTRE FOR
VISUAL ANTHROPOLOGY
SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
CELEBRATING 20 YEARS 1987 - 2007
© Antony Gormley's Waste Man commissioned by Artangel for Penny Woolcock's feature film Exodus
THE FUTURE OF MUD: The Tale of a Mason's Story (247)
17:00, Thursday 28th June, Cosmo Rodewald
Director: Susan Vogel (USA)
Year: 2007
Run time: 55'
Location/Ethnic group: Djenne, Mali/ Bozo, Bambara, Songhai and other regional groups
Language: In In English, Bambara and French with English subtitles
Production/Distribution: Samuel Sidibé, Musée National du Mali, First Run/ Icarus Films
Grounded in Trevor Marchand’s anthropological research, this film centres on social relations, architectural change, affluence and Djenne’s connection to a global world. It takes a novel approach by casting individuals – a mason, his assistant and his family – in roles similar to their real-life situations. By weaving together observational documentary footage, interviews and staged scenes, it presents a narrative about contemporary building practices, competing aspirations and the precarious future of Djenne’s renowned mud architecture. In addition to the film’s documentary content, the technique of blending fact and fiction in the service of ‘truth’ raises a number of compelling issues.
