Rob Munday
A tribute to “the most neglected heroes of today”, Black mothers, Abdou Cissé’s action-packed comedy Festival of Slaps takes viewers on a whirlwind tour of a young man’s passage into adulthood. Initially, a recollection of all the times his formidable Mum and him have clashed, Cissé’s acclaimed short takes a surprising turn halfway through when it adds some heartfelt sincerity to its humour.
“The inspiration behind the film was this urge to create my own superhero film, with my mum as a knight in shining armour”, writer/director Cissé outlines as we discuss how his short originated. However, as Festival of Slaps opens with a close-up of its “hero’s” hand, held aloft before reigning a maelstrom of blows down upon her now adult son, the initial perception of this woman is far from that of a virtuous paragon. This, of course, is a deliberate ploy by Cissé, drawing viewers in with the on-screen “assault,” artfully complemented by a barrage of inventive camera shots, only to deliver the real knockout punch – a poignant surge of emotion.
“So many Black filmmakers get automatically put into a box of a certain genre”
After impressing with his earlier short Serious Tingz, a two-minute take on masculinity, Cissé was conscious of the fact that “so many Black filmmakers get automatically put into a box of a certain genre”. Not wanting to fall into this trap himself, the director set out to “challenge the lack of representation” in his community by creating a short which celebrated the unsung. Setting out to create a genuine representation on-screen, Cissé knew that for his film to work he had to “strip away what is so often misunderstood about African mums to make way for the truth” and show that “they are the real superheroes”.
Kemi Lofinmakin (L) as Mrs. Adeyemi with her son Ade, Tom Moutchi.
Creating a film for someone you love may not be a novel idea, but Cissé delivers his story with such force and verve that it demands attention. Inspired by anime/manga, the director credits the storyboard process as being hugely influential in the film’s success, deeming it “the blueprint” for their creative choices and the key to a “super straightforward” shoot. However, not everything unfolded according to the initial plan, as the director candidly admits they “forgot to actually shoot in slow-mo for the slap shots,” necessitating the use of parallax animations in post-production.
In the S/W team there has often been a common complaint about the scarcity of comedy on our platform. However, Cissé has effectively rendered Festival of Slaps impossible to ignore by seamlessly blending action, comedy, and a whole lot of heart within his short’s brief runtime. We aren’t the only ones to feel the love for Cissé’s short, with the film recently picking up a BIFA award for