The colorful harbor of Willemstad, the sounds of steel drums on the beach. When you think of Curaçao, a picture will quickly pop into your head. But much more has not been told, director Eché Janga knew. His film opens on Friday evening Bulado the Netherlands Film Festival, with a simultaneous screening in over a hundred cinemas.
The magical-realistic film is set in the west of Curaçao, a remote area where eleven-year-old Kenza lives alone with her father and grandfather. Her mother’s death still echoes in the family, although the three generations deal with it completely differently.
Where father Ouira (Everon Jackson Hooi) hides his scars by staying hard and rational, grandpa Weljo (Felix de Rooy) believes he can make a door to the world of his ancestors. Kenza stands between them and doesn’t know which path to take.
Different sides of Curaçao
“Weljo represents the spiritual side of Curaçao”, says Janga. “He is more connected to the traditional culture of the island.” Ouira is the westernized man who rejects Papiamento and thinks you have to join the western culture in order to move forward. The fact that Kenza does not make a choice between them is also typically Antillean. That you take in different things and get the best out of everything. “
Janga had been circulating his idea since 2005. A short mythical story by his Antillean uncle immediately grabbed him, but it took until 2017 before Janga found the right writing partner. That became co-writer Esther Duysker, who incorporated the death of her own mother in the film.
“I let the idea simmer for a long time”, admits Janga. “If you make a film in Curaçao, you really have to have a story to tell. Something that is loyal to the inhabitants. No short film, and no English spoken either.”
More than just the slavery past
A feature film in Papiamento, sometimes with Dutch dialogues: wasn’t it difficult to find financial backers for that? “The great thing is that Papiamentu is also part of our kingdom”, Janga replies. “People are becoming increasingly aware of these new storytelling possibilities.”
“Previously, the Antilles were often only the place where people were enslaved,” Janga explains. “A black page in history. But it also has a lot of beautiful stories. Fortunately, the Film Fund saw that too. There is much more to be gained than just the dark sides of the past.”
“You can see those elements in the film”, Janga continues. “The slavery past is also just part of the culture, so it will be mentioned. But in general it is a film that is good for everyone to watch.”
––
–
–
Eché Janga on the set of Buladó with lead actress Tiara Richards. Photo: Gusto Entertainment.
‘Never dreamed that film would receive so much attention’
Janga, the rather has small crime drama Helium was completely taken by surprise when he got the chance to open the Netherlands Film Festival. “I never dreamed that Bulado would receive so much attention. Even during the shoot, people said that it was so special that I was shooting a film on Curaçao with this subject. But I have never been busy with that myself. “
“Now it has become very exciting”, Janga concludes a few hours before the premiere. “A number of good reviews have taken away stress, but it is ultimately the people who determine. Later on I will go to Curaçao with the film, and viewers can be very critical there. The most important thing for me is that people are going to be affected by it. Both in the Netherlands and Curaçao. “
Bulado opens the Dutch Film Festival on Friday and will run all over the Netherlands from 1 October.
– .
