Daniel Dercksen interviews director Junaid Ahmed, who makes his feature film debut with MORE THAN JUST A GAME.  Scroll down for the complete Q & A

After 20-years writing, producing and directing documentaries and short films, Junaid Ahmed's life-long dream materialised when Anant Singh approached him to direct More Than Just a Game, marking his remarkable feature film debut.
Told through the stories of five former prisoners, More Than Just A Game is the story of political activists sent to the notorious Robben Island prison in the 1960s by the apartheid regime, who rise above their incarceration by creating a football league.
What attracted Ahmed to direct More Than Just A Game was that he desperately wanted to change the face of Africa, and how South Africa is perceived internationally.
"There are so many images of South Africa that is being distorted, of how people imagine Africa to be, " says Ahmed.
"The Africa of ours is a remarkable country with stories that show hope and inspires confidence, and is a fresh trove of wisdom, heritage and culture. We don't see much of that, and don't celebrate much of that; it's all trumped by the negativity, images of Africa being poor, so primitive, underdeveloped, violent and covered with jungles."
Ahmed is confident that More Than Just A Game "works against all of that".
"The film reveals the strength and energy of people confronted by the worst of adversities; how they overcome that and their spirits soar and they triumph in the face of all overwhelming odds."
Ahmed agrees that More Than Just A Game is an important film in the history of South African filmmaking.
"It revisits a part of our history that many South Africans did not know about and it comes as a total surprise when you see the film. It shows the nature of our own struggle against Apartheid, how five remarkable men use the game like soccer to actually empower themselves," he says.
"Playing soccer empowered them on a much broader scale when they were released from the island, and they contributed to the benefit of South Africa."
More Than Just A Game clearly shows that without our past history, our future would be very different.
"Memory is such a powerful weapon," says Ahmed.
"One of the things I tried to do with this film was to remedy some of the stereotype fears South African filmmakers have presented," he says, referring to the "image of the brutal, beer swigging, Nazi type warders."
"It was part of the regime, but a lot of these people were human beings and victims also," he says.
"When we look at Robben Island, we think only the prisoners were victims. No they were not, wardens themselves were because they were young, 16-year-old Afrikaner kids from the Platteland that were put onto this brutal island called Robben Island, and were brainwashed to treat people in an inhumane way."
"A remarkable thing happened," says Ahmed. "The prisoners and the wardens actually discovered to force a friendship, and in the process, humanised themselves, and that is another powerful message."
Another major reason that Ahmed feels fortunate to sit in the director's chair, is that he is being able to share his passion for sport.
"I'm a passionate soccer fan, cricket fan, rugby fan. I love sport," says Ahmed, who received international recognition for his documentary Iqakamba - Hard Ball, which he wrote and directed, and won the Best Sports Documentary in Milan in 1996.
"I think not only soccer, but sport in general, is a great leveller," he says, enthusiastically sharing his views on the importance of the game and his passion for sport.
"Whether you are a Prince from India or a poor guy from the ghetto in Harlem, when you are on the soccer field, you are equal," he says.
"If you are playing for a team, you cultivate the spirit of equal, collective decisions for being in sync with another, united in an effort. And that's the power of sport. It brings people together, irrespective of ideology or wealth or whatever. On Robben Island, the prisoners were fragmented and never spoke to each other, but they met each other on the soccer field as one. It's a great unifier."
Ahmed believes that as an African filmmaker, he has a universal story to tell.
"For me, the important thing is to show the human drama, and bring out the human stories and that is what More Than Just A Game does. Politics is just a backdrop, it's a parameter in which people operate, but the greater story is the human story."
What excites Ahmed about film is that it is such a "powerful medium."
"An 8-year-old and an 80-year-old came up to me and told me how More Than Just A Game touched them," he says.
"It touched their heart and their spirit, and they were moved by the experience. That's the power of film; it can shift consciousness and take you on a wonderful journey, not only as escapism, which is the true value of cinema, but also as education."
He also feels proud to be part of a new identity that has emerged in South African films, with films like Bakgat!, Confessions of a Gambler and Son of Man.
"The essence of being a South African filmmaker in that context, is the exploring of identity," he says
"My origins, my ancestors are from India, but I see myself as a South African, and I want to explore what it means to be an African, and what it means to have a heritage that comes from India."
"I want to explore identity in terms of what it means to be an African in an international context, and that means to engage with the rest of the world."
Influences of his heritage and culture are clearly visible in More Than Just A Game, in which he makes use of the magical realism found in Bollywood films.
His love for filmmaking stems from his parents, who were avid Bollywood fans.
"They would drag me on a Saturday morning into a bus from our Chatsworth township to the city centre of Durban and go and see a matinee Bollywood film," he fondly remembers.
"I was transported into another world; a world I did not know existed."
There is wonderful a scene in More Than Just A Game where Ahmed magically transforms ordinary prison life and creates a nostalgic romantic mood, combining music and image into 'magic realism'.
When one of the prisoners walks down a corridor and a policeman tortures one of the other prisoners, "blocks it out in his mind and he transports himself into another world."
"He looks forward and he imagines that he sees the goal posts; he focuses on that, it is his salvation," says Ahmed
"What I did with the sound there is that the screams of torture inside his mind transforms to screams of the crowds watching the soccer game."
"In terms of your visual language, and in terms of imparting a very strong message, one does not have to be so vague," he says
Although hope is an important theme in More Than Just A Game, the film also deals strongly with the reclaiming of identity.
"The one important thing people should realise when they see this film is that politics is about people. That people have the power," he says.
"If you reclaim your voice, you can make changes in the world, you can make for a better society, and that's why the film is about hope, and also about reclaiming your own power as a human being in society."
The film shows that home is most definitely where the heart is for those who bonded during their imprisonment.
"For them, it was also almost like a schizophrenic feeling being released because for ten or twenty years Robben Island was their home, they formed a brotherhood. When they left they were going to their real homes and their loved ones. They had two homes; one was their home where they were born in, one the one they formed to survive." 

Copyright © 2008 Daniel Dercksen
Published with permission in the Good Weekend Argus, April 27, 2008

DANIEL DERCKSEN TALKS TO JUNAID AHMED

More than Just a Game is an important film in your career?
It's my first big feature project. I've been primarily a documentary filmmaker for 20 years. I'm very excited that this is my first feature film production and I'm pleasantly surprised by the reaction to it.

Why do you think it is such an important film in the history of South African filmmaking?
It revisits a part of our history that many South Africans did not know about and it comes as a total surprise when you see the film. It shows the nature of our own struggle against Apartheid, that in this story of these five remarkable men on Robben Island, who use the game like soccer to actually empower themselves in terms of all aspects of governance. Playing soccer enabled them via all there structures, committess, their dialogue and debate, it empowered them on a much broader scale when they were released from the island, and they contributed to the benefit of South Africa.

What attracted you to direct the film?
One of the things that was really a compelling reason to direct was that there are so many images of South Africa that is being distorted, of how people imagine Africa to be, the stereotypes and so on, and you know, the Africa of ours is a remarkable country with stories that show hope and inspires confidence, and is a fresh trove of wisdom, heritage and culture. We don't see much of that, and don't celebrate much of that; it's all trumped by the negativity, images of Africa being poor, so primitive, and underdeveloped, and More Than Just A Game works against all of that and shows how people show resilience to overcome an adversary, how they overcome that and their spirits soar and they triumph in the face of all overwhelming odds. And that for me, is a very compelling reason to have done the project.
 
Are you a soccer fan?
I'm a passionate soccer fan, cricket fan, rugby fan. I love sport. The other reason why I took the project off course, one of the documentaries I had done recently was a documentary called 'The History ….", a four part series that won an international award. I have this passion for sport so when Anant Singh called me and said that he haWhat do d a project

How do you rate yourself as a soccer player?
I don't play anymore, the old bones are giving way, but I was a goal keeper and I played for my High School, I played for my local level, I played for a soccer team  but unfortunately have been unable to become a professional soccer player. I would have rated myself 9 out of 10.

What do you hope South African audiences will get from watching the film?
You know, the most important thing about this film is that it is not just about soccer and that's why it is called 'More Than Just A Game'. I think when audiences leave the cinema one of the message that might inspire them is the recognition that politics is about people, and that people have the power to change, and that if people find their voice, reclaim their voice, they can benefit society tremendously. That's the message that they should leave with and be inspired by. Hopefully that inspiration helps us to serve for a better community and a better society.

If you look at the film, it really shows that without a past we have no future.
Absolutely. And also, the whole thing about memory being such a powerful weapon. One of the things I tried to do with this film was to remedy some of the stereotype fears South African filmmakers have presented on the film, and that is the image of the brutal, beer swigging, Nazi type warder, and the way we present our own security system; it was part of the regime, but a lot of these people were human beings and victims also, we forget that. When we look at Robben Island, we think only the prisoners were victims. No they were not, wardens themselves were because they were young, 16-year-old Afrikaner kids from the Platteland that were put onto this brutal island called Robben Island, and were brainwashed to treat people in an inhumane way. But what remarkable thing happened, that is that the prisoners and the wardens actually discovered to force a friendship, and in the process, humanised themselves, and that is another powerful message. There was a warden called Delport, the prisoners took him on various courses and got him though his matric, and he got his promotion.  And that's what we show in the film. Yes, we were all victims, and we must not forget it, but at the same time we have to let the anger go and embrace each other. Embrace you enemy, it does work.

What do you think is the attraction to playing soccer?
I think not only soccer, but sport in general, is a great leveller. Whether you are a Prince from India or a poor guy from the ghetto in Harlem, when you are on the soccer field, you are equal. And also, if you are playing for a team, you cultivate the spirit of equal, collective decisions for being in sync with another, united in an effort. And that's the power of sport. It brings people together, irrespective of ideology or wealth or whatever. On Robben Island, that's what it did because on the island itself, the prisoners were fragmented, people belonged to the Pan African National Congress, they belonged to the ANC, they never spoke to each other, but they met each other on the soccer field as one. It's a great unifier.

How do you see your role as filmmaker in South Africa?
I see myself as an African filmmaker but that does not mean that I should confine myself to stories that only impacts on a local audience. I believe that as African filmmakers, there are universal stories that we could tell. I strongly, and my personal projectors is that I make films that are able to touch a person in Alaska and a person in Australia. For me, the important thing is to show the human drama, and bring out the human stories and that is what More Than Just A Game Does. Politics is just a backdrop, it's a parameter in which people operate, but the greater story is the human story.

What excites you about film?
It's such a powerful medium. The power of film is that every frame is charged with a powerful message, the image is so strong that you can see it in so many different ways and interpret it. An 8-year-old and an 80-year-old came up to me and told me how More Than Just A Game touched them; it touched their heart and their spirit, and they were moved by the experience. That's the power of film, it can shift consciousness and take you on a wonderful journey, not only as escapism, which is the true value of cinema, but also as education. I don't think I know of any other medium that so powerfully marries education and entertainment in such a compelling way.

Have you always wanted to be a filmmaker?
It has always been my heart's desire to be a filmmaker. It was difficult under Apartheid, you were very restricted to what you could do. Since our democracy I think we have flourished, we are seeing a band of South African filmmakers - black, white, Indian, Coloured, whatever - emerging and telling very good, compelling  human stories.

There's also a fantastic new identity that has emerged in South African films; if you look at Bakgat!, Confessions of a Gambler and Son of Man? An identity that is very positive.
Absolutely. The essence of being a South African filmmaker in that context, is the exploring of identity. My origins, my ancestors are from India but I see myself as a South African, and I want to explore what it means to be an African, and what it means to have an heritage that comes from India. And also to share a fantastic legacy historically, you know with Ghandi being here and becoming such a figure in India afterwards. I want to explore that. I want to explore identity in terms of what it means to be an African in an international context, and that means to engage with the rest of the world.

When did you first realise that you wanted to be a filmmaker?
My parents were avid cinemagoers in terms of Bollywood. I would go every Saturday morning as a kid as far back as my memory takes me. They would drag me on a Saturday morning into a bus from our Chatsworth township to the city centre of Durban and go and see a matinee Bollywood film. I was transported into another world, a world I did not know existed. During the three-hour epic films I was taken in by the emotion, the drama, the singing, the dance; the sheer spectacle of it. That immense life that was so much brighter and better that I began to look forward to it every Saturday. That's where the roots of my own filmmaking desires stems from.

In More Than Just A Game there is a strong influence of the magic realism found in Bollywood films; the way you use dust during the soccer games, combined with the music, to create a nostalgic, romantic mood.
You are absolutely right. I think, in terms of your visual language, and in terms of imparting a very strong message, that one does not have to be so vague. I believe in lyrical filmmaking, being as interesting as possible to your and camera and let the power of your story drive the message. But, added to that, and enhancing that, is what you would call elements of magical realism. I tried to do that in More Than Just A Game. There is a wonderful scene where a character is walking down the corridor and you h the policeman is torturing a prisoner behind him, and what he does is block it out in his mind and he transports himself into another world. And he looks forward and he imagines that he sees the goal posts; he focuses on that, that is his salvation. What I did with the sound there is that the screams of torture inside his mind transforms to screams of the crowds watching the soccer game.

Hope is an important theme in More Than Just A Game. It also deals strongly with the reclaiming of identity?
The one important thing people should realise when they see this film is that politics is about people. That people have the power. And, like these men, they reclaim their voice, and if you reclaim your voice, you can make changes in the world, you can make for a better society, and that's why it is about hope, and also about reclaiming your own power as a human being in society.

More Than Just A Game also clearly shows that home is where the heart is.
Absolutely. For them, it was also almost like a schizophrenic feeling being released because for ten or twenty years Robben Island was their home, they formed a brotherhood. When they left they were going to their real homes and their loved ones. They had two homes; one was their home where they were born in, one the one they formed to survive.   

Copyright © 2008 Daniel Dercksen

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