Bola (football) at Barclays Sports Complex
BY SOTIRIS, LUSAKA
Hey Guys!
I'm blogin from my bed, since my injury from football on Saturday (must be old age or posing too hard for the cameras).
I'm fine... just sprained my knee and it's all swollen ans stuff. I look funny on crutches but what the heck... life goes on.
I am so glad you made time to get out of your busy filming schedule to socialise with others coz it would be so boring to be doing the same ole things every day.
The next adventure I have for you is to go to Adventure City (our version of a miniature waterworld) and hopefully the whole cast will join us so we can get to know each each better (typical Zambian saying). We can let off some steam by playing water games or even better... paint ball war (ouch for some???).
Time is running out and soon you'll be leaving. Let's capture every last moment together so that next time you come to Zambia you have more time to see many places at your own time.
I bet Livingstone must of stunned everyone, now you know why I'm sooo confused (cuz I was born there). Did you know that that's where they invented Hyundai, Hamburger, Honda and a lot more.
So if ever you forget my name "Sotiris"... being a Tonga, you can call me "Hatiris"
See you all soon
Hatiris
BY CYNDI GREENING, LUSAKA, ZAMBIA – We're at the end of week two and we've had some wonderful performances turned in this week. We've had some logistical nightmares and challenges getting all of the cast together but, in the end, when we're rolling, we're getting some terrific performances!! This photo was taken on the set during one of the key transformation scenes for all of the main characters.
BY JOHNPHAN MVULA, LUSAKA, ZAMBIA, AFRICA – I have always been camera shy and I always said to myself that I couldn’t act. So when Uncle Jabbes told me that I was going be part of the film, my body started to shiver.
JABBES MVULA, LUSAKA, ZAMBIA, AFRICA – When I arrived at the Lusaka airport 14 days ago I was so busy getting the crew’s passports and luggage issues resolved it took me quite along time before I was able to greet my friends and relatives. I would walk by the exit and I could hear them yell and scream for me. I wanted so badly to go greet them, but I knew I had to take care of business first. 
I can see the wisdom in not having your family on set. The crew is fortunate in this. They are able to concentrate just on filming the movie. I on the other hand need to spend most of my time filming. I wish I could spend more time with my Mum, my kids, my family and my friends. I am unable to do so. This has been very difficult for me. I want my family to know how much I have missed them and how much I want to spend more time with them.
JABBES MVULA, LUSAKA, ZAMBIA, AFRICA – I must admit I was very worried about making this movie. I was concerned about how the revised script would be received. I was concerned about the safety of the crew while traveling and visiting Zambia. I was worried about the cast and locations and props. It seemed that my concerns were warranted because last week was very difficult. We were all trying so hard to accomplish so much that at times I felt nothing was being accomplished! At the end of the week we were so exhausted and frustrated that I began to worry more. We took the week-end off. I slept. On Monday morning we started again. By the end of the day we had done 11 pages of the script! It was a great day. I realized then what Cyndi had known all along. The first week is hell. Everyone is trying to find their place and how to help. After six days everyone settled down and we accomplished more then we had planned for. It was amazing. I feel so grateful to everyone and their patience. 
JABBES MVULA, LUSAKA, ZAMBIA, AFRICA – It is very interesting that the country has not produced any films and yet it has an abundance of talent. It has been wonderful to work with the actors on BAD TIMING. They have been so responsive to any direction I give to them. I must admit I was worried. Most of the actors have strong theatrical backgrounds. I am so grateful that they are as professional as they are and respect me in my role as director. It has been a joy to have my vision of this project materialize day after day during the scenes we have shot.
JABBES MVULA, LUSAKA, ZAMBIA, AFRICA – The first week is finished. We have had some hiccups in the road, but the crew has fixed them. They have been so wonderful and very professional. One of the difficulties has been the small rooms we have had to use as sets. Putting in all of the equipment, the lights, the cameras, the sound equipment and I often wonder where we will fit the actors! At the end of the day we have managed to get the shot. I am so grateful to the crew. The lighting has been so wonderful and the sound has been terrific. They have worked so hard to help me make this project a success. I am not so worried about the rest of the shoot. I know what ever hiccup comes up next we will fix it.
BY BENNE BANDA, LUSAKA, ZAMBIA– This is such a great experience for me. It has been a long time since I have been in front of the camera. It has been fun seeing how a full scale production is run with all the cameras and equipment and crew. 
BY LEE CHAAGA NONDE, LUSAKA, ZAMBIA (CHIKU) – What I’d like to say about this say is that God has shown me what I want about life. I have always been dreaming about being in a production like this. When Auggie came to me and told me that Jabbes was coming with his crew to do BAD TIMING I talked to God and said, “Why can I not get this part? I really want this part. Then God answered my prayer and I got the part.”
BY CYNDI GREENING, PRODUCER — When you think about how complicated it is to take 14 students and 4 faculty members to another continent to shoot a film, you might wonder why we made that choice. Here's a short piece on why we think it's important to shoot BAD T!MING and VOICE OF AN AFRICAN NATION in Zambia.
BY CYNDI GREENING, PRODUCER — Sometimes, it's amazing to realize how serendipitously this all came together. How did Jabbes come to Mesa Community College? Why did MCC sponsor such a project in Zambia? This piece might clear it up.
BY CYNDI GREENING, PRODUCER — We leave for Zambia tomorrow. Principal photography begins on BAD T!MING on Monday, August 14. The following video will help you to understand what inspired these projects.
I had already noticed that Marcus Hu and Mark Urman were on the panel. I knew these guys would be great because I'd heard them at Sundance before. I'd been tracking Marcus Hu for years because I loved the sort of films he released at STRAND. (The Zambia films are a more difficult fit for him but I was anxious to hear what he had to say anyway.) The new folks on the panel (new to me) were Sony Classics Michael Barker, Fox Searchlight's Matthew Greenfield, Picturehouse's Bob Berney and Stratosphere's Paul Cohen. Agents on the panel Cassian Elwes and Kevin Iwashina. Barbara Boyle was the only female.
As usual, some of the most profound words of advice came from Mark Urman (THINKfilm). "In the end, it is irrelevant what it cost. My only concern is whether I respond to the material and what do I think it can make in the market. Most independent films lack the polish, visual diversity and visual sheen to be successful in the marketplace. The shots must be alive and we must respond to the characters."
The schedule at the Sundance Independent Producers Conference is intense! We're booked from 8:00 a.m. until 11:30 p.m. We can hike down the canyon, catch a shuttle or take the rental car (guess what I chose) to start the day with a communal breakfast. Everyone is excited. There is a networking frenzy in the air. It's early in the weekend so the industry professionals can move through the crowd with relative anonymity. We are wearing our "FilmZambia" t-shirts. It's effective. We are noticed. It also doesn't hurt that Jabbes is one of very few black faces in the room. We stand out.
In the short session afterwards, I have the chance to tell Barbara Boyle, Cathy Schulman and Ricky Strauss about the FilmZambia projects. I talk about the documentary and the feature. It turns out that Cathy Schulman is considering a project in Africa. I'm thinking her connection to Don Cheadle (after CRASH) may be continuing. Ricky and Cathy have sweet smiles and kind demeanors. Barbara is sharp as a tack and quite an education snob. I think she would look down her nose at Mesa Community College. They seem very excited about and interested in the project. Jabbes is sitting beside me so he talks about BAD T!MING (the feature). I'm happy.
In the afternoon, we have the Film Financing Panel. In this panel, I think I'll find out all of the things I've done wrong in mounting this production. Again, I hear things that I think are incredibly deep and profound. I feel like I'm being given the keys. (I hope I have enough time to write about this before I go to Zambia.) Among the many things I learn, we are told that the BIGGEST CHALLENGE in filmmaking is that EVERY FILM IS UNIQUE. Financing and distribution are totally dependent on the story, the cast, the perceived audience and the P&A. The particpants in the IFP ask a variety of questions about how to find funding and they are told over and over again, "Depends on the film." It's absolutely liberating! There is no "right" answer. You just do what it takes to get it done. At different times, the panelists laugh derisively and tell us that they make lots of mistakes and, at the end of the day, do what it takes to make the things they love. Don't get me wrong, they say financing is tough. Prices are high, profits are low. The talk about the financing for Maria Maggenti's PUCCINI FOR BEGINNERS. 
Am very bad at drawings, and I just did not have any clue as to how to handle storyboards. Someone had to help me again in putting on paper my ideas and interpretation of the film. Jacob Felix, Eric Aguire, Heath McKinney and Mario Carbajal were just the perfect guys I needed, I enjoyed working with these guys. It was a very hectic stage, but it was also very refreshing for me working with people who could do just anything to make my work much easier. Storyboards gave me a chance to direct the movie well in advance, making me more prepared. The period gave me a chance to get more closer some of the crew than we were before. 
CHIKU will be played by Lee Nonde. Lee is one of the lead actors in the Kabanana "soap opera" on the national television station, ZNBC. Well known in Zambia, Lee has the charisma to capture the goodness of Chiku and, at the same time, show the terrible pressure and conflict he faces by his enemies.
DON PELIKAN will be played by Augustine Lungu. A tremendously gifted actor, Augustine is one of the most sought after actors/comedian/producers in Zambia. The powerful and well-connected businessman, Don Pelikan is a neighbor to Chiku and father of young Rose. As you can see from this photo, Augustine can summon that dominance when needed! For those of you who read this blog regularly, you may recall the wedding photo of Augustine and his lovely bride in early July. We saw his sweeter side in that image.
Am not scared of this fact because I have gone through a thorough drill to prepare me for the task from script development to the final stage, but my worry is whether everyone involved, from the cast to the crew, who all happen to be first timers, are ready for this challenge to be undertaken in ONLY three weeks. At first I thought I will be directing a first time film, but now I realize that people will be expecting a professional film from us. Thank God I came here, coz am now fully prepared.
We watched all of the folks arriving. While I'm a relatively social creature, I don't enjoy these forced networking experiences. I end up thinking about what I should be working on, what I might be able to blog about or what I should be doing for the film project. The one thing I know I don't want to do is "crawl up some industry professional's hinder" in the hopes of making a deal. It leaves me feeling too crappy for words. So, I dive into reading my materials and hope they talk with Jabbes or Alec. They tell us we can go to our accommodations and I am relieved to go elsewhere until dinner.
I meet a fellow that I will come to love over the course of the weekend. He turns out to be the nicest fellow! He was one of the people I really wanted to meet. He produced IN THE BEDROOM and LOST IN TRANSLATION. His first film (as a member of the crew) was RESERVOIR DOGS. We're in the beverage line together and we introduce ourselves. I tell him that he was one of the people I was looking forward to meeting. He asks about our project. I tell him about the FilmZambia projects and he gets so enthusiastic and excited, he pulls Geoffrey Gilmore over to our group to tell him about it. He tells us a funny story about his mother at the screening of IN THE BEDROOM. I just love this guy. Ross Katz tells us to come to his screening of MARIE ANTOINETTE on Saturday. We tell him we wouldn't miss it. 
Then, there is a screening of BAGDAD, E.R. and a Work-In-Progress screening of HIROSHIMA/NAGASAKI. Both were produced by the Grande Dame of Documentary, Sheila Nevins of HBO. I'd heard her name many times before. Prior to the screening, I bumped into Sheila and her HBO cohort, Sara Bernstein. Alec and Jabbes had already spoken with them and told them about the Zambia projects. She said they sounded really interesting. If I'd had my wits about me, I might have asked her if HBO would be interested in the doc but it's hard to be witty in the bathroom. Sheila favored cargo pants in shades of yellow, tan and khaki. She has this great mane of hair and easy laugh that is totally disarming. I was completely captivated by her.
BY CYNDI GREENING, PRODUCER, PHOENIX, USA — We leave for Zambia in one week (almost to the minute, in fact, since I'm typing this at 8:45 pm) and I can hardly believe it! I think we're all in a weird conumdrum . In the early months, there were days that it never seemed like it would never leave. Now, time is rushing so fast, we're wondering where the time went!!!