INTERVIEW: CAMEROONIAN GORETTI ETCHU-EGBE REINVENTS THE DOOR WAY FOR FEMALE IN A MALE DOMINATED INDUSTRY

Many years into a career that is seeing her emerge as the queen of the Cameroon box office, Goretti Etchu-Egbe still remembers the African woman she grew up knowing and how it has evolved over the years. Typically portrayed as weak and submissive, they now bore much resemblance to the western women — “women wielding guns,” as the helmer says, with a laugh...

With a background in directing, writing, and producing; , Goretti Etchu-Egbe brings to the Cameroon entertainment Industry a rich and varied experience. Resulting from her first blockbuster movie WOMAN? She is described as one who "seeks to raise the standard of film production in Cameroon and Africa by telling a story about women as seen through the eyes success and aspirations." According to her, she went into movies to change views around the stigmatisation plaguing the "strength of African women" in general.

Now, as Goretti Etchu-Egbe prepares for the upcoming premiere of her first movie WOMAN; in Houston Texas this 16th Jully 2016, Empower Success In Africa team cought up with the emerging queen of Cameroon box office.  In this interview, she reflected on her career as an award-winning writer, producer and director whose humility and reputation is inspiring a growing number of Cameroonian women to stake a claim in this male-dominated industry. Here is an indepth interview. Enjoy....

INDEPTH INTERVIEW WITH ACTRESS, PRODUCER AND WRITTER GORETTI ETCHU-EGBE

Question 1: Who is Goretti Etchu-Egbe?
Goretti, as I like to be called is a Cameroonian filmmaker based in the UK. A wife, mother, friend and sister.

Question 2: How did you get into the movie industry and eventually becoming a producer?
Well, my journey into the industry has been many years in the making. My film career started off in Nollywood, which is the Nigerian Film industry. I spent a year and half in Lagos as a scriptwriter and actor. The highlight of my time there was being the scriptwriter and an actor on the first ever Cameroon-Nigerian film collaboration ‘Before The Sunrise.’ After that, i went on a hiatus for a few years, studied and improved on my craft and came back with WOMAN.

Question 3: Tell me more about WOMAN the movie?

Woman is a story that was inspired by a facebook post. I wanted to know what you would do if the mistress knocked on your door. However, the interesting part of it is, WOMAN has now taken a life of its own. The feedback I got from the premiere has been interesting. People have their own interpretations and it so heartwarming and motivating.

Question 4: In all the words you could have used as title, why WOMAN?

Cos after I wrote the script, I realised that I had basically told a story that I believed women could relate to. So I called it WOMAN.

Question 5: What can you say about your Co stars?
WOMAN is 100% Cameroonian. Shot on location in Cameroon, with Cameroonian cast and crew. And when you watch the movie, you will be more than impressed by the quality of work we do back home. From the picture quality to the acting talent. Everyone brought their A-game. I am so proud of us all. 

Question 6: What is your take on the Cameroon film industry? Do you think we have what it takes to compete at an international level?
Most certainly. When it comes to talent and technical work, we can certainly compete at any level. The only problem we currently have is the lack of exposure; from cinema halls to media. We have limited exposure opportunities. But I am hopeful that give it a few years and investors and stakeholders will get on board and recognise how lucrative the entertainment-movie industry is for us all.


Question 7: Cameroon recently hosted the first Cameroon international film festival; what is your take on that event? Do you think such events could propel our movies to the rest of Africa and eventually crossing the western borders?

The Cameroon Film Festival was quite an eye-opener for me in many ways. However what stood out most for me was the number of sponsors involved in the project. That showed me that corporations were beginning to take notice, which I think is a good thing. All our industry needs is a medium or media of exposure; cinema halls, TV channels that broadcast our work and a decent internet connection through which we can stream our movies online. You need to see some of the work coming out from Cameroon, impeccable, international standard work.

Question 8: How would such event help producers like yourself?

Personally, I went to CAMIFF to seek out the talent and the competition. As a producer, I think you need to be aware of the kind of stories being told, the quality of the pictures being made and the talent that abound. Also it is a great opportunity to network with other filmmakers and exchange ideas. So that is why I attended CAMIFF. CAMIFF provided that on a small scale but it looked promising to me. 

Question 9: WOMAN the movie will be premiering on the 16th in Houston Texas; give us some preface of the event; what should we expect? 

The WOMAN premiere in Houston is slightly different from other premieres. This time, we decided to partner with the Dr. Fonya Foundation to give back to widows in Cameroon. WOMAN is a story about strength and survival. And we have so many widows who are disadvantaged economically due to some cultural norms imposed on them against their wishes. So through this premiere and fundraiser, we are going to hopefully improve their economic situation.



Question 10: You have recently been nominated and also won couple of awards; tell us more about your achievements and what it feels to get some recognition.
I am really honored to have been recognized for my work, especially by my peers and country. What these awards do is motivate me to work harder, to understand that the journey has just begun, more is expected of me. And by more, I mean better films, better representation of my country.

Question 11: It is tradition at Empower Success in Africa to give a word of advice to the young generation; what would be your advice?

Focus, focus, focus. Once you identify what your passion is, then focus, think outside the box and make that dream a reality.

Thank you so much Goretti for taking the time out of your busy schedule for this interview with us. We count on your availability for a future interview on set for our season two TV show coming soon .