If you were asked to choose a cult film, which would you choose and for what reason?
This was the goal of the game I initiated on Facebook a dozen days ago. The rules, inspired by previous games on Facebook, are very simple. Everyone must:
- Post the poster for a cult film.
- Total freedom as to explain or not his choice.
- Name six people
- Tag the person who appointed you.
To start the game, I chose to publish the poster for the film “Al Massir – L’Et destiny” by Youssef Chahine and I had appointed six friends to take over.
Several days later, it was not my surprise to see the popularity of the game that had taken well and had spread considerably. The facebookers liked to play it. And continue to do so. I even saw derived versions, two in Arabic and one in English. This development is great because it will allow more people to participate. The game has also passed our borders to reach Canada, Egypt and Lebanon.
Encourage non -professionals to talk about cinema and involve them more
One of the two versions in Arabic was made by Mohamed Atef, Egyptian film critic. However, he introduced a small modification to the rules by demanding that everyone justifies his choice and himself described the film he has chosen at length. When I questioned him, he replied that he wanted to encourage non -professionals to talk about cinema and involve them more. According to him, most people watch the films, appreciate them, but rarely know the name of the director or the screenwriter. This game is therefore a good opportunity to develop their cinematographic culture.
The game has therefore spread. Both with cinema professionals (directors, producers, actors, criticism) and simple amateurs. Is it the idea of sharing that seduced? Sharing a passion? Or memories? Or impressions? The desire to share what we like and make it discover others?
Some scrupulously respect the rules of the game, others not at all. Which is a shame because it disrupts the game, either by distorting the rules or by stopping the chain. Others, much rarer, brought some notes of fantasy and humor.
With a few exceptions, the named people, and therefore requested to play, were folded with pleasure. Some people even asked themselves to be named to take over.
You have to be able to determine what a cult film is?
Personally, I was appointed 7 times, so I have chosen 7 different films, with great pleasure each time. Several people have also been, like me, asked several times.
In principle almost all those who answer choose a film. Only two or three people responded to announce their refusal to participate in the game, for lack of being able to choose a cult or preferred film. Director Hinde Boujemaa, for example, refused to play, for her, asking her to choose a single film is like asking her to choose from her children, she refuses. She cannot choose a single film, she likes several and cannot decide between them! Same for the film critic Khemais Khayati who categorically refused to make a choice.
Besides, the remark that very often returns to the various statutes and comments is: it is very difficult to choose.
It is true that choosing a film is very difficult. You have to be able to determine what a cult film is? How to choose it? Why such a film and not another? What is a favorite film? And for what reasons?
Finally at each period of our life corresponds to a favorite film or films. And these favorite films may be for strictly personal considerations that have no connection with the intrinsic quality of film.
You also have to understand that choosing a film is not made at the expense of other films. We just choose for the game, and the choice is not immutable, it can change later! Some unable to choose a single film, have shared two or three films posters in the same publication. And somewhere, why not?
On Facebook therefore appeared dozens and dozens of film posters. Films of all kinds and all times. Very old films and very recent films, very well -known films and films completely unknown to the general public. These films come from very many countries, mainly from the United States of America and Egypt, but also from Iran, Afghanistan, India, France, Algeria …
Isn’t there a cult Tunisian film?
But paradoxically, although the game has started for ten days, to my knowledge no one has yet chosen a Tunisian film. It was only on the 7th day that a Tunisian actor appeared, in this case Lotfi Abdelli, but on the poster of the Maltese film “Simshar”. Why was no Tunisian film chosen? Isn’t there a cult Tunisian film? Doesn’t the Tunisian trust his own cinema? Isn’t it proud of it? Where did the various “silence of the palace”, “Halfaouine – the child of the terraces”, “The man of the ashes”, “clay dolls”, etc …?
Of course, there have been choice of predictable films, such as “as much we take the wind” (1939) made by Victor Fleming, “The Godfather” (1972) by Francis Ford Coppola, or even “East of Eden” (1955) by Elia Kazan.
Some films have been chosen several times, such as “flight above a cuckoo nest” (1975) by Milos Forman or “On the road to Madison” (1995) by Clint Eastwood or “Meeting with Joe Black” (1998) by Martin Brest.
Some players just shared a poster without giving any explanation, others explained their choices, others have given an identity card of the film, with many details and sometimes even with a small biography of the director.
This gave a kind of database or catalog, very heterogeneous, it is true, but also very interesting. And precisely some facebookers say they are very happy because it offers them the opportunity to discover films they did not know.
As for the reactions of readers, they are very diverse. For some films, there are dozens of comments, opinions, criticisms, appreciations, photos, anecdotes linked to the film. For other films, almost no reaction.
Why did the FaceBookers like to share their favorite films? Why share on the internet? What is the motivation?
As far as I am concerned personally, I think what pushed me to launch this game is my love of cinema. And like anyone in love, there is a desire to share their passion, to talk about it … to want to know what people think about it, to love, to know their tastes, their opinions … it is to be able to penetrate a dream world and share it with those who would like it.
And this interest of people for cinema made me very happy.
Cinema or economy?
Finally, this game not only enabled all those who participated to share this love of cinema, but also for a few days, they left their various aside to focus on this passion. They were able to escape a bit of everyday life, forget politics, disputes, controversies and problems, and focused on discussions about films, directors, actors, cinema, culture, even books … Each giving their opinion, defending their point of view, sharing their passion, sometimes telling memories related to the film chosen. In short, they were able to speak a common language for a certain time before taking up each their own path each. For the anecdote, Mr. Hakim Hammouda, former Minister of Finance and Passionate about cinema, even wrote on the occasion of his participation in the game that he is in a period of long hesitation: cinema or economy?
Perhaps also that some have become aware in recent years of the importance of the role of culture in general and cinema in particular. They realized that cinema has an influence as important as school, that it has an education role, allows reflection and is a way to face the rise of obscurantism.
These discussions have also exceeded Facebook. Saturday evening, I went to an evening with friends and this game was an opportunity to talk about cinema, directors, films, actors … and my friends told me that they were very happy to participate in this game which plunged them into their “cinematographic” memories, and reminded them of certain old films, certain cult films and certain directors such as Stanley Kubrick. Same yesterday at the restaurant with other friends who began to list other films.
More generally, did this game make it aware of the cinema in particular and culture in general? Apart from a few pleasant shared moments, can we expect positive concrete results?
Time will tell us!
Neila Driss
