CREATIVE MATTERZ FUND PROJECT PRESENTATION

From 100 submissions, this project idea was selected as 1 of 10 by a renowned jury based on the criteria of sustainability, originality, inclusivity, impact and aesthetics. The Creative Matterz Fund has supported all projects with €500, mentorship opportunities and pr. Now you can see what the creatives have realized in the last 3 months and vote for your favorite 3 project to win a total of €1000 in support of their work.

FEEL THE GROUND

Feel The Ground is a short docu-fiction film in the first person. It is in Wolof, English and German. It portrays different cultural views on sustainable fashion consumption and the social issues around it. It tells the journey of a Senegalese woman living in Berlin where she studies Film. While working on one of her university assignments, she decides to create a documentary on Sustainable Fashion which led to her dreaming about the times she used to be bullied for wearing second-hand clothing. Through her voyage, she's giving her thoughts on the matter and interviewing people to find new perspectives. Towards the end, she confronts the bully.

MEET THE CREATIVE

This project was written and directed by Oumou Aidara who is a Berlin-based Visual Artist, technically trained in Photography. It was produced by Mellon Hynes, a UX/UI designer turned Eyewear Merchant who’s trying her hand at the world of short films.

Oumou is an advocate for intersectional environmentalism as the first step towards decolonizing environmentalism, which means bringing in her particular cultural upbringing in a way that at the same time brings imminent stories to the foreground. She cast mainly people from her entourage with whom she has affinities in order to make this film happen. While the characters of the film are fictional, many of them were inspired by her friends playing these roles. Standing for the same values, caring for the environment, and having an interest in critical discussions is what brought the team together in the first place. But behind that is also the connection between our different socio-cultural backgrounds and identities bringing us to create inclusive working space for an intersectional fight for the planet.

How did the Creative Matterz Fund help you realize your project?
Creative Matterz Fund helped to push my vision forward with funds and resources such as mentorship and equipment rental. They made it easier for me to come up with an idea and follow through. I appreciated how the mentors were taking their time listening to my ideas and contributing through questions and critics. They gave me good advice and did a regular check-in with me. I liked the fact that I was being held accountable for the work since it can be hard when you're doing something for yourself and must be your own cheerleader in such times.

Who were your mentors?
Juliana Betancourth and Alexandra Gheorghe.

What learnings did you have?
I learned to research more intensively for delivering fact-based information, meaning being mindful of my sources of information. I pushed my boundaries by creating my first short film, so I discovered a lot about cinematography. I learned about film editing, cutting, the lingo, and the importance of sound. I also ameliorated my teamwork and management skills. And I'm sure there is a lot more that I've learned during this experience that could keep me writing in this section for a while.

What is your vision for the future?
A wrote a poem about this which you can hear in my film. My views are a world where the norm is ethical, organic, hand-made, slowly made... when it comes to goods consumption. But bigger than that, I'm working towards giving a bigger contribution to a world where animal rights, human rights, women's rights, indigenous rights, black people's rights, lgbtqai+ rights, and climate justice is respected and achieved. A world where our system is reformed, mental health is being cared for and the planet is thriving. The ecosystem is thriving and we are taking better care of ourselves and those around us. Where the corporations are responsible for their actions, not the population.

How can one best support you?
As I've discovered my interest in film, one can best support me with opportunities that could help me achieve more projects in this direction. I'm open to all kinds of work in the direction of photography and film. But, the most important for me is to have resources and access to media that could enrich my life as somebody who wants to speak up for the planet, take action and help people learning and understanding intersectional environmentalism why we need it and why fashion needs to be reformed. And as I know I also have so much more to learn, new mentorship opportunities are also welcome.