Some Bad News
A short story from an African landfill called "Toxic City". Local people here burn old refrigerators, TV sets and computers. They manage to recover a small amount of precious metal which can be sold.
“A rhythmic journey into our ecological nightmare. Hellscapes have never looked so breathtaking”
In Depth with the Director -
Marek Skrzecz
Tell us a little about yourself and your background in filmmaking
For many years I worked as a film editor. But I've always been fascinated about directing. As a director, I started with music videos and documentaries.
How did Some Bad News first come together as a project?
At the end of 2019, I was making a documentary in Ghana but not related to “Some bad news”. Being there, I wanted to visit Toxic City and make some pictures. Together with my camera operators we visited this place. We had a small drone with us and we were shocked what we saw from the air perspective. Then we decided to make a movie.
The narration is much like a song or chant, with repetition to the beat of the music. What influenced the soundtrack of your film?
A few years earlier I have made several music videos for a famous Polish music group (Fisz Emade Tworzywo) . After a long break in March 2020 they contacted me asking for a music video. Unfortunately, because of Covid-19 it was impossible to shoot anything. We put our heads together and came up with an idea to use my videos from Africa. After combining music with pictures from Toxic City I realized that the lyrics fit perfectly and the images get a new value and meaning. Thanks to this cooperation, a unique film was created with strong documentary message.
The overhead shots of the “Toxic City” are breathtaking and give a great sense of scale. How did you plan out these shots?
The project was very difficult. First of all, not everyone can enter and make pictures in this area. Luckily, we had our trusted guide, also we had to pay a bribe to the local leader. There is acrid smoke everywhere and African heat around 40 degrees. In such conditions, it’s very difficult to be creative and come up with fresh ideas. Primarily we focused on capturing what surrounds us, we didn’t want to create and change the reality. In the entire movie, only one situation is directed. This is when a young boy is standing on the roof and camera flies away. The creation took place during the editing.
What message do you hope people receive out of your film?
The knowledge about modern Africa is very limited. In my opinion colonialism still exists in hidden form. Developed countries are picking from Africa the most precious things like gold, diamonds and cobalt. In exchange, they send them the worst - tons of plastic and electronic waste. The invisible victims of this cynical practice are African people who bear on their shoulders a problems of the modern world.
What was the biggest challenge in making this film?
During the shooting, I thought to myself that being there with the camera is completely inappropriate. It is very depressing when you realize the problem is overwhelming and you are helpless. In such places technical problems and artistic dilemmas are relegated to the background.
What projects are coming for you in the future?
Last year I’ve completed a feature film course at Andrew Wajda's film school. Now I’m working on the script of my first feature film.
Do you have any message for our Melbourne audience?
On behalf of me and my teammates, thank you very much for the opportunity to show our film. Greetings to all viewers and I’m very jealous about Australian weather!