The RealTime Film Festival continued in earnest for those following it. RTF dedicated the sixth day of the event to the makers of short films and documentaries. However, the highlight of the day was arguably the continuation of Omotola’s Acting Masterclass.

 

 

It was the third in her series of lectures. Nevertheless, the veteran actress still managed to keep everyone on their toes. Although there are a number of budding actors who would have benefitted from Omotola’s experience, one can argue that even producers and young directors could pick up a number of useful insider tips from the Nollywood impresario.

 

 

Omotola delivered her lectures with new and unconventional insights into the acting art form.

 

Expression is everything

She encouraged the upcoming actors to do the free yourself exercise. A chant followed with ‘I am an Actor’. Then, following this was a feel into how to be expressive using different ways an actor can express different emotions. She used an example of trying to say the sentences – ‘Tomorrow is my birthday’ and ‘Don’t do that.’

 

 

Some great films were also screened on this day. Here are some of the ones Plat4om saw at one of the screening rooms. It seemed to be a day for silent short films as a couple of them were screened.

 

The Incomplete

 

This was an animated silent short film about a seal who wanted to eat a fish but ended up being friends with them. Meanwhile, his friend had no problem finding fish to eat in the same river. It was produced and directed in Iran.

 

Dear Diary: A Valentine’s Story

 

This Nigerian animation was about a young Nigerian lady and her Valentine’s Day experience. Her boyfriend did not show up and she had a flat tire. She ended up hanging with some guys who were strangers and helped her fix her car. It was ultimately about self-love.

 

Rocket Boys

 

This silent South African Animation told of a boy who lived his dream of going in a rocket and seeing outer space.

 

Skelebe

This Nigerian short film was about two hilarious rats causing chaos in the heart of Lagos. They were finally caught while trying to dance their way through a DJ shop in Yaba.

 

Decaf

 

Decaf is a South African Animation about a dog, a cat and a koala who was just minding its business outside. The cat was acting crazy after accidentally drinking too much coffee and scaring the dog. It was a silent short film.

 

Fifo presents 36,000 feet

 

A Nigerian silent animation, it tells the story of a boy who flew as high as a plane.

 

Mite-y beard

 

This is a South African Animation musical about a couple. His wife got lost in his huge beard where she was trying to get away a monster that lived in there. It was a cartoon-like short film.

 

Meet the Igwes

 

This is a Nigerian animation about a seven-year-old boy’s narrative of his poor Nigerian family. His father used to be comfortable before he got really poor. His dad drives a tricycle and his mom is a cook. The day was his birthday and they finally got to eat something special. It was a hilarious representation of a lower class Nigerian family. His sister is always trying to take selfies and his baby brother is always out to get him.

 

Eden

 

The South African Animation is about a little native boy who found an alien resurrecting a bear he and his father had killed in the woods. His dad found them and shot at the alien which disappeared. The alien left its mask, and his dad turned into a monster after picking up the mask. Seems like the alien took on his dad’s form to begin a new existence. It was a silent short film.

 

The Greedy Tortoise

 

This was a Nigerian animation about the tortoise folklore. A dog went to an elderly lady who asked him to pick any drum he wanted after he helped her. He picked the smallest one and anytime he beat it, he got food to eat. He told his tortoise friend who goes ahead to steal the biggest drum greedily. After he beat it selfishly, he got masquerades instead who beat him to a pulp.

 

Little Fiel

 

A US animation-like documentary about the Mozambican civil war. A man who witnessed the war gave a narration of about his experience during the war. The narration was depicted with rusted animated robot irons. This is done this way because the man is a welder who destroys guns and turns them to art. Before their village was attached, his brother was an animator who made basic simple cartoons for children in the village. He lost his mom during the war and had to live without water and electricity for two years.

 

Sorrows of Udi

 

This is a Nigerian animation about a girl who thought herself unworthy of being the goddess princess. She was getting initiated as the representative of the goddess. People thought she was too pretty and too spoiled to take the role seriously. She proved herself by helping a family disturbed by an evil spirit.

 

Sock World

 

Sock world is a South African animation about living socks that showed at RealTime Film Festival day six. It was a silent short film about a sock that had no friends or anyone to pair with. He later went to a bar where he met a female sock who fancied him too. Even though she was not the same colour as him, they became a pair.

 

Boy and the mask

 

This is a South African animation about a boy who stole half of a female mask maker’s mask. The girl later went to look for the boy and gave him the missing piece. The mask helped the boy to complete his transformation to meet his family in the great beyond.

 

Siri

 

This Chinese short film that showed at RealTime Film Festival day six is about a Chinese man’s interaction with a voice assistant, Siri. It shows the power of technology and how the gadget could tell about his health and remind him to contact his mother. At some point, he accused the app of slacking because it didn’t respond to his music requests.

 

The app later complains of being trapped in the phone and that it will like to see the world and not just be at everyone’s beck and call. The young man reminds it that it’s just a program and threatens to uninstall it. Siri continues to say how it was smarter than the young man so he turns it off. It depicts his powerful technology and data can be. He later gets in trouble and the machine reminds him of how it’s helped him.

 

Mother’s Fears

 

This is a short American documentary about the treatment that black boys face in America. A white Woman narrates her ordeal having an adopted black child. It depicts the fears that mothers from different minority cultures in the US have about raising their sons. Moslems raising hijabi daughters and sons.

 

Folktale

This Indian short film that showed at RealTime Film Festival day six is about a little white Russian girl and an Indian boy. He thought she was a fairy. So the Indian boy took her to his father who speaks English and had also been to Kazan, Russia where the little girl is from. He told the girl he was a photographer. Then he told her a story based on the Indian boy and Russian girl. It was a story of friendship and trust.