“One night at her home in southeastern Congo, 14-year-old Mugeni awakes to the sounds of bombs. As her family scatters to the surrounding forests to save themselves, Mugeni finds herself completely alone. From there, she sets out on a remarkable solo journey across the globe, determined to reunite with her lost loved ones and lift up the Banyamulenge people. Despite unimaginable obstacles, Mugeni’s story is ultimately a portrait of hope, love, and family bonds.” Director Amy Bench on MORE THAN I REMEMBER which screens at SxSW 2022.
I hear you are no stranger to SxSW! Tell me about your previous experience here at the festival and what you showed.
I was at SXSW in 2019 with my animated short doc A LINE BIRDS CANNOT SEE. It was great! I met new filmmaker friends and future collaborators, one of whom ended up being the key animator on MORE THAN I REMEMBER. I have been attending SxSW since the late 1990s.
Tell me about the idea behind MORE THAN I REMEMBER and getting it made!
Elegant and unafraid are words that came to mind when I met Mugeni. Her voice was sensitive and clear, her fashion sense bold and inviting.
I met Mugeni through her US foster agency, the one that helped place her in foster care after two years navigating life alone in Kenya. At 14 years old, her life had been irreparably changed the night a militia attacked her family’s village in southeastern Congo. I met her seven years after that attack, after the girl had grown to a woman while navigating inconceivable separation and loss, finding her way in a new country, language, and family. And here she was, ready to share her story in hopes that every young child and person forcefully displaced would be given refuge without question, or fear, or discrimination, or hate.
I was immediately drawn to Mugeni because of the joy and wisdom she emanates despite the happy childhood that was stolen from her. As a filmmaker committed to fighting against anti-immigration policies, I knew Mugeni’s voice could touch all humans at a deeply emotional level, resonating beyond the ideological spectrum. Her story of love, loss, forgiveness, and beauty feels at once familiar and extraordinary. Mugeni’s journey encapsulates the varied tragedies many of us have witnessed in our own lives and communities, and lends a natural and clear urgency to welcoming those that have been displaced.
Who are some of your creative inspirations? Any particular filmmaking talent or movie that inspired you for this project?
Children’s picturebooks have been in my life a lot recently as I have a three year old and a seven year old; I love the work of Jon Klassen, Sophie Blackall, Eric Carle, Lois Elhert among many talented illustrators and storytellers. I’m drawn to the evocative imagery and straightforward storytelling.
How did you put this together from a technical viewpoint? What sort of cameras/lenses did you use and/or did you have any creative challenges in making it?
We first worked with the audio interview and went through a number of paper and audio edits before bringing on our animation director, Maya Edelman. We then worked on storyboards and once those were complete, Maya and I supervised animation by a team led by Sebastian Bisbal. Once all the frames were designed and before animation was complete, I shared the edit with our composer Curtis Heath.
What would you suggest to film festivals as a way to show more short films or make them more accessible to audiences across the country?
I think in-person festivals having an online component allows films to be more accessible to those unable to attend. It lowers the barrier to entry, and broadens the audience for each filmmaker.
If you had one piece of advice to offer someone to get their start as a creator or filmmaker in the industry, what would you suggest?
Continue to work on projects that inspire you so you can learn and grow from others, while you hone your own skills.
And finally, what is your favourite short film of all time?
ALONE by Garrett Bradley; all Lynne Ramsay’s shorts are amazing, as is Jane Campion’s PEEL.
This film and many others like it will be showing at South By Southwest taking place March 11-20. For more information point your browser to www.sxsw.com!