FIGHT LIKE A GIRL PRODUCTION
being mentored by coach Kibomango. A former child soldier and champion boxer, he not only taught these girls self- defence, but also provided a path out of exploitation and homelessness. BLAZE OF BRILLIANCE Initially, the team considered shooting in other areas of East Africa that might be more conducive to production, but realised details like accents would be off if they went elsewhere. Nor would they get the beautiful backdrop of Mount Nyiragongo – an active volcano whose lava smoulders menacingly just a few miles outside of Goma. “It’s very iconic,” explains Henkels. “We felt the growth of this ring of fire was representative of the turbulence of what was going on within the community.” The budget was tight and both crew and equipment were limited – but the team rolled with the punches and made it work. “We wanted it to be ‘not Hollywood’ and not contrived; we wanted an almost docu-style, very realistic but obviously controlled, since we had to follow a script,” explains Henkels. “Even though we had several restrictions, it kept us on our toes and drove our creative process.” While searching for a lead actress and sourcing funding, they put together a local crew, who began to document Kibomango and the girls from the boxing club. Joined by the director, producer and focus puller, the local cameramen and drone operator started chronicling the girls’ lives and getting to know the community. “It gave them boots on the ground as well as an insight into how to
GOING THE DISTANCE Henkels praises Ama Qamata and Hakeem Kae-Kazim (pictured above) for the soulfulness and depth they brought to the roles of Safi and Bagunda
pull off an actual narrative feature – so by the time we were given the green light to jump in and shoot the film, the director already had the locations plotted out. He had essentially scouted everything for me, so I was able to come in and prep with all that information and knowledge,” shares Henkels. “By the time I showed up in Congo, pre-production was really smooth and fast.” BEATING THE ODDS Pre-production may have been plain sailing thanks to all the prep work, but principal photography threw up plenty of challenges for the crew. From navigating complex local politics to erratic power supplies, every day yielded problems to manoeuvre around. “There’s no real organisation or structure there, so you
might think a location is secured – but then find out it’s controlled by different people at night. It was stressful, but that unpredictability made the experience magical. It’s a bit like the Wild West, but the people are so beautiful and embraced us with open arms,” says Henkels. “Of course, you always have to watch your back, but they really accepted us.” He recalls the technical hurdles vividly: “Running into difficulties with no proper lighting was a nightmare. My crew had to run makeshift wiring from a generator, and by the time the power reached my lights, they were barely glowing,” he laughs. To light key nighttime street scenes, Henkels got creative: “I needed to figure out how to light a huge area with no lights, so I asked the producer if we could burn tyres like the locals did. We bought 20 truck tyres and kept them burning throughout the night – hoping the wind didn’t change direction – but God, it was so beautiful. Burning rubber would stay engulfed in this giant flame. I used the Sony VENICE, which has a very sensitive sensor – I was exposing at 3600 ASA with the Canon CN-E lenses shooting at T1.4 – the warmth and colour from the lenses was stunning.” IN FOCUS Henkels was drawn to the CN-Es for their unique softness and the beautiful roll-off of focus they provide. He also needed
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