Canal + Gabon lent its executive to the broadcasting ceremony of the preview of the short film entitled ‘’OVI’’a 26-minute fiction film directed by Marlène Alene. This short film, broadcast in French and produced by the Gabonese Institute of Image and Sound (IGIS), addresses several themes, namely the exploitation of young girls, the quest for identity and social inequalities. ‘’OVI’’ is inspired by real and true events. The broadcast of the preview of ‘’OVI’’ was held in the presence of the Minister of Communication and Media, Spokesperson for the transitional government, Laurence Ndong.
‘’OVI’’ is a 15-year-old Beninese girl who lives with her mother Fémi in a mangrove in Lowé, a setting known for its naturalness and captivity, symbolizing the duality between isolation and the aspiration for a better life.
Despite their difficulties and the lack of administrative documents‘’OVI’’ dreams of learning to read. Her uncle Hervé will later take her to the city to work as a cleaning lady for a Gabonese couple, the Mbala couple and his wife’s son. Between incessant chores and abuse, her boss’s mother, who has come to the capital for a medical check-up, will question her about her origins. ‘’OVI’’ later discovers that the head of the Mbala family is in fact his biological father.
« Great stories are everywhere in the world, but the stories of the little people around us also deserve to be told and seen on screen. The main theme of my short film deals with these little people, very often without reference points or prospects for the future, like this young girl, the heroine of the film, who lived without knowing her father, who is the fruit of a forbidden love. The real question we must ask ourselves is how to give these children a compass in life? “, confided Marlène Alene, the director and screenwriter of ‘’OVI’’.
“Through the story of this 15-year-old teenager, the director, Marlène, invites us to dive into a world where abusive violence hides behind the walls of homes. Far from being a simple film, “OVI” is a cry for the dignity of children, for the respect of their rights and for a collective awareness of these practices that must no longer have a place in our societies.”challenged Serge ABESSOLO, Director General of IGIS.
“The stories of little people. I really liked this story. I am convinced that through this story, thousands of people will be touched and come out of their silence and subsequently we will have another look, with much more consideration, empathy, affection and above all with an outstretched hand towards the people who live these situations. This will allow us to correct the harm that we inflict on them so that they can finally consider another future.”pleaded Laurence Ndong, the Minister of Communication and Media.
Born in Oyem in northern Gabon, Marlène Alene began her studies in Gabon before flying to Benin where she obtained a professional degree in film/television production and screenwriting at the Higher Institute of Audiovisual Professions (ISMA). She was selected last July to participate in the writing workshop “Write to Bangui” of the LETIBEAFRICA Association.
After several experiences as Assistant Director in the series ”Parent’s manual” by Samantha Biffot in 2015, through the documentary “On the Edge of the Zenith” by Nathalie Pontallier in 2020, or very recently in 2022, on ”Obalongo” by Jérémie Tchoua, she wrote and directed a mini-series in 2018 ‘’Epopolia’’ produced by OPVStyle by Sedrygue Soungani, broadcast on Gabon’s national television channel.
Her first school film earned her the second UNICEF Benin prize. Her defense film was selected for the First Short in Yaoundé in 2015. Marlène Alene worked for the Information en Continu Gabon channel. She has been an agent at the Gabonese Institute of Image and Sound since 2018.
Elliott Ana Marvel et Darina Stone Mikala
2024-09-22 14:13:24
#OVI #screen
