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Véronique N. Doumbé‘s Shortlist

Published on May 19, 2009

The Shortlist article series is your opportunity to learn about the films that inspire intellectual, artistic and activist leaders—leaders like Véronique N. Doumbé . We asked Véronique N. Doumbé  to share her favorite films and her thoughts on the power of documentary to change the world.

So what films make Véronique N. Doumbé‘s Shortlist? Keep reading to find out.

Who is Véronique N. Doumbé

Véronique N. DoumbéVéronique N. Doumbé

Véronique N. Doumbé has roots in Cameroon (Central Africa) and Martinique (West Indies). Born in France and raised in Cameroon, France and Ivory Coast, she moved to New York City in 1981 where she soon produced, directed and edited several documentary shorts including:

Portrait of an artist: Ray Grist  (1982), Carnaval Foyal (1983),  Solar Cars (1986) and AVP: A Step Towards Peace(1989) commissioned by the Alternatives to Violence Project, Inc. and was screened at community centers across the country.

Denis A. Charles: An Interrupted Conversation, her first feature length work was released in 2002 by Ndolo FIlms,llc., Véronique N. Doumbé‘s Production Company.  The documentary received several awards including Best Film/Video Documentary Production at the XVII Black International Cinema 2002 in Berlin-Düsseldorf (Germany), the 2002 Audience award/Best feature at the Detroit Docs (Detroit, Michigan) and the CiNY Award 2002 for Outstanding Documentary, CineWomenNY.

Her most recent project, The Birthday Party, a short story written by Sherry McGuinn and produced by Ndolo FIlms,llc. won the Dikalo Award for best fiction short at the Pan African Film Festival in Cannes - April 2009.

Véronique N. Doumbé on the Power of Film

More people watch movies than read books.  As a teenage girl in Cameroon,  Theatre was the way I discovered African Literature.  By the mid-seventies Dikongue Pipa (Cameroon) Sembene Ousmane (Senegal) realized that they had to turn to filmmaking if they were to reach a wider audience.

Documentaries are important because they shed light on people and events that may otherwise remain overlooked. Many documentaries have inspired me.  Here are just a few:

Véronique N. Doumbé Picks

Koyaanisqatsi, directed by Godfrey Reggio: This film has no dialog, but brilliant editing of images and music that conveys a message of life out of balance in our modern world.

The Thin Blue Line, directed by Errol Morris: A man wrongfully accused of murder was eventually freed as a result of this documentary.  Again no voice over.  The story is told through a mixture of reenactment and investigative work.

Harsh Beauty, directed by Alessandra Zeka: The documentary follows 3 Eunuchs who live openly as women in India.

La France et ses Libérateurs, directed by Charles Onana: The film deals with a fact seldom talked about in France,  and absent from the French History books namely the participation of Africans in World War 2 and their impact in France’s liberation from the Germans in 1945.

Sisters in Law, directed by Kim Longinotto and Florence Ayisi: Two women, A court’s President and A State Prosecutor in West Cameroon help women stand up to abuse.

Denis A. Charles: An Interrupted Conversation, directed by Véronique N. Doumbé: The late drummer Denis A. Charles reflects on his life from his arrival in the USA in 1945 until his untimely death in 1998.

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Dominique: Can you contact me at Global Information Network -an independent global news agency in NYC? I like your work and would like you to know about ours…

Lisa Vives
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Posted on 2009 05 26 by lisavives

Veronique, It is great to see you on the internet tommy@ loris

Posted on 2009 06 22 by Thomas regan