BISFF Correspondence 通信计划
为了跨越种种障碍，开辟更多交流空间，我们设置了“BISFF Correspondence 通信计划”，对部分国际单元的参展作者进行系列访谈，这些访谈将在作品放映后发布在联展各个媒体平台。
This program involves conducting brief email interviews with the directors of the international films featured in the festival, in lieu of the traditional Q&A session that follows the screenings. Through this program, we hope to provide a platform for filmmakers to discuss their work and share their insights with our audience in China.
KIBONUMWE / METEORITE I ｜ 一致 / 陨石 I
Simon Rittmeier
Germany, Rwanda｜Kinyarwanda, English｜0:12:00｜2022｜
Q&A
Director导演: Simon Rittmeier
Interviewer&translator采访、翻译: 乔屿
Q1: Can you clarify why you opted for a mockumentary to delve into a particular and realistic social issue related to gentrification? Why black-and-white Super 8 mm? How did this form aid you in conveying the story? Or did you face any challenges in expressing yourself through this style while filming and editing?
你可以介绍下为什么会选择“伪纪录片”的形式来拍摄一部非常具体的，极具现实意义的，聚焦“乡绅化”主题的短片吗？为什么选用黑白色8mm 胶片？这种拍摄形式如何帮助你讲述你的故事？又或者，这种形式风格是否在拍摄和剪辑过程中为你的表达带来了一些挑战？
A1: First of all, given the length of the film and the way it was shot, I prefer to call this form "fake reporting". Instead of traditional investigative journalism that emphasizes real numbers and people, I found a poetic approach to investigating the story of the missing meteorite more effective. I hope the audience will have more questions or confusion - what did I just see? Is it true or made up? Are these characters actors or local residents?
So why choose to shoot on black and white Super 8mm film? For me, the film’s atmospheric grains create a painterly effect, they slide between reality and fiction. It really creates a utopian atmosphere. I like to think of these pictures presented by "Super 8" as "image thinking" rather than simply referring to a simple image. They are not obvious, they are vague, and they are not targeted; instead of showing reality, they are actually intended to be far away from reality. The audience is therefore required to construct their own image in their imagination, which may initially have nothing at all to do with the director's own ideas. This is no problem at all.
首先，考虑到影片的长度以及拍摄方式，我更愿意称这种形式为“虚假报道”（fake reportage）。相较于传统的，强调真实的数字和人物的新闻调查，我发现以一种诗意的手法来调查陨石消失的故事更为有效。我希望观众能因此产生更多的问题或者困惑—我刚才看到了什么？是真的还是编造的？这些人物是演员还是本地的居民？
至于为什么选择黑白超8毫米胶片拍摄，对我来说，胶片颗粒营造出了一种油画效果，他们在真实和虚构之间滑动。它的确是创造出了一种乌托邦式的氛围。我喜欢把这些由“超8”呈现的画面想象成是“图像在思考”，而不单纯只指一副简单的图像。它们并不明显，很模糊，也不尖锐；它们并不展示现实，相反想要远离现实。因此，观众需要在脑海中构建属于他们自己的图像，这些内容和导演本人的最初想法可能完全无关。这完全没问题。
Q2: In this short film, the meteorite is a significant metaphor. On the one hand, the stories of the meteorite represent a grand and public history and memory that most native people living in the area are familiar with. On the other hand, as one of the characters points out, “Meteorite is a small thing that surprisingly passes in th sky, it passes once and can only be seen by one person. You should avoid telling your friend about it”. And you also mentioned that “everyone has their own personal memory”. This raises the question of whether the film also explores the contrast between the public memory of history and myth versus personal memory and narrative.
在这部短片中，陨石成为一个非常重要的符号。一方面，这些围绕陨石的故事代表了一种，对于一直生活在当地的原住民来说，很熟悉的公共的历史和记忆。但另一方面，就像剧中一个人物说的，“陨石只是一个小的东西，他不经意划过天空，致经过一次并且只能被一个人看到。你不应该吧这个故事告诉你的朋友”。与此同时，你也提到了，“每个人都有他们独自的记忆”。这牵扯出的一个问题是，是否这个影片也在探索某种关于集体记忆和个人记忆之间的关系的问题。
A2: Yes, very well said. I remember very clearly that in 2004, at a very specific location in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda - next to an intersection in the community where I lived at the time, there was a large stone lying there, which was what people called a "meteorite" . But due to urban planning and neighborhood improvements, this place no longer exists. Returning here again after being away for ten years, these changes are rapid and astonishing to me.
However, for those who have been living in Kigali, they have witnessed and been part of the development of society. Old buildings disappear and new ones are built. These changes may be positive or negative, I don’t want to judge. The concept of “gentrification” carries with it a negative connotation that can be misleading. But I'm interested in finding those lost places. They only exist in my memory.
And as I searched for memories of my time in Rwanda, I also tried to unravel the mystery—I visited local residents and told them what I remembered. But for different reasons, things went the other way - they didn't understand what I was looking for; I became a complete outsider, a foreigner. In addition, I cannot express myself accurately in the local language, which undoubtedly adds to the communication barrier. But even if there were no language issues, the process would still be difficult. On the one hand, it has been a long time ago; on the other hand, when I can only express it in "words", it will definitely go through the process of being "translated".
Everyone understands the questions I raise in their own way. This resulted in me getting so many different answers and stories. And every story is related to the person who tells the story and some specific places. Not only that, the camera also recorded that I, a white foreigner who kept asking questions, broke into their lives in Rwanda in 2022, holding a camera and recording equipment.
是的，说得很好。我记得非常清楚，2004年，在卢旺达的首都基加利一个非常具体的地点——在我当时生活的社区里的交叉路口旁，躺着一个很大的石头，那就是人们口中的“陨石”。但由于城市规划以及社区改造，这个地方现已不复存在。离开十年再次回到这里，这些变化与我而言是迅速且惊人的。
然而，对于那些一直生活在基加利的人，他们见证着，并且成为了社会发展的一部分。旧楼消失，新楼建起。这些改变或积极，或消极，我并不想评判。“乡绅化”这个概念本身带有一种负面的暗示，它可能具有误导性。但我感兴趣的是去寻找那些消失的地方。它们只存在我的记忆之中。
而当我搜寻在卢旺达生活的记忆时，我也在尝试厘清其中的谜团——我拜访当地的居民，向他们讲述我记得的事情。但由于不同原因，事情指向了另一面——他们并不理解我在寻找什么；我完全变成了外来者，一个异乡人。此外，我并不能用当地的语言准确地表达自己，这无疑增添了沟通上的障碍。但即便没有语言上的问题，这个过程还是困难的。一方面事情已然过去很久；另一方面，当我只能用“文字”表达时，它一定会经历“被翻译”的过程。
每一个人都以他们自己的方式理解我提出的问题。这导致我得到了非常多不同的答案和故事。而每一个故事都和讲述这个故事的人，以及一些具体的地点有关。不仅如此，镜头还记录下了我，一个不断提问的外国白人，在2022年的卢旺达，手持摄影机和录音设备，闯入了他们的生活。
Q3: The opening sequence of the film caught my attention immediately. It showed a woman (not sure) manicuring her hand and placing it under a nail lamp. I am curious to know why this sequence was chosen as the opening and how it relates to the film's overall topic?
开场的段落就给我留下了很深的印象。画面展示一个女人（不确定其身份）在做美甲，并将她的手指放到了美甲灯下面。我很好奇为什么选择这个段落作为开场，它和整部片子的主题有什么具体的联结吗？
A3: Those are my own hands. I always go to the same salon to get my nails done. This process is very relaxing. I don't really like chatting in this situation. For me, it is a moment of silence, as if time has stopped flowing.
那是我自己的手。我经常会去一家相同的美容沙龙做美甲。这个过程很放松，我不太喜欢在这种情境里聊天，对我来说那是一个寂静的时刻，仿佛时间停止流转。
Q4: I was impressed by many of the scenes and lines in the film. I also felt a strong sense of calmness and control behind all these images. One example that stood out was a man's voiceover saying, "The meteorite pierced through the ground, and it basically disturbing the peace, the status quo, or the way things are." This was combined with a scene where two groups of completely static images were displayed until the end of the second scene, when the man slightly moved his hand. I felt as though I was reading a poem. However, I am curious about the source of this sense of control and restraint. Is the great uncertainty of social impact and social change brought by gentrification bringing about this sense of control?\
我被片中很多的场景和台词打动。但我同时感受到了画面背后的冷静和控制感。拿其中一个场景举例，画面中能听到一个男子画外音独白：“那个陨石落到大地上，它只是打破了平静，打破了现状，或者事物本来的样子”。画面内由两个场景组成，两组人物仿佛静止般，直到第二个场景最后，那个男人稍微一动了下手才打破了寂静和“现状”。看那个段落的时候我感觉自己在阅读一首诗。但我很好奇这种控制感的来源。它是否出自一种，对于由乡绅化带来的对于社会的改变和影响，所带来的不确定性？
A4: Indeed so. I really like the concept of "freeze posing". For example, in that paragraph, the character in the scene is motionless, holding a meteorite just picked up from the backyard - that stone seems to be showing you a period of time, telling you what just happened - just Just now, a meteorite fell next to you. Then reporters rushed to the scene and wanted to record their postures with photos. In these photos of people, people were "writing" and describing history with their bodies.
In the second set of scenes, we also see a woman lying on a bed, looking sick or tired. The inspiration for this scene is a real incident that happened to Ms. Ann Hodges. On November 30, 1954, Ann was nearly killed by a meteorite falling from the sky while she was lying on the sofa in her living room in Alabama. The meteorite passed through the roof and destroyed part of the sofa, but she escaped with only minor burns on her skin.
的确如此。我很喜欢“定格摆拍”这个概念。比如在那个段落里，场景里的人物一动不动，手里握着的是一颗刚刚从后院捡起的陨石——那颗石头好像在向你展示一段过去，告诉你刚才发生的事情——就在刚才，一颗陨石落在了你的身边。接着记者赶到现场，想用照片记录下他们的姿势，在这些人物照片里，人们在用肢体“书写”和描述历史。
在第二组场景里，我们还看到了一个女人躺在床上，看起来像是生病了或是很疲倦。这个场景的灵感是一则真实发生在Ann Hodges女士身上的事件。1954年11月30日，Ann正躺在位于阿拉巴马州的客厅沙发上，她差点被一颗从天而降的陨石砸死。那颗陨石穿过屋顶，砸坏了沙发的一部分，但她本人逃过一劫，只是皮肤上留下了轻微的灼伤。
Q5: In writing the script, did you consider the identity of the “interviewees”? For instance, their class, gender or social background?
在写剧本的时候，你有设计“被采访者”的身份吗？比方说他们的阶级，性别或者社会背景？
A5: 在写剧本的时候，你有备有设计过“被采访者”的身份？比方说他们的阶级，性别或者社会背景？
我当时正努力和各个群体的人沟通。比如，那个用英文回答问题的人是名建筑师，他在建筑工地经常使用一些本土的石料。他代表的就是某种意义上的上层阶级——这些人在城市建设的改造和发展中起到了一个积极的作用。
▌more information：https://www.bisff.co/selection/kibonumwe-%2F-meteorite-i