Familiar faces, film and art enthusiasts gathered on a Wednesday night cloaked by the Dar es Salaam heat for the premier of the dance film WONDLARLAND. 

WONDARLAND is a collaboration between choreographer and debut director Matthieu Nieto and Tanzanian artists. Among the core cast were Frederick Sanga, Regina Kihwele, Tidah Antony, Christina Erick Malya, Salim Ally Salim and Tofa Jaxx ; Everbright Everready as the production manager, Kerage Kamuli as the director of photography, Jordye Onesmo as the editor, and Alkeys for the music composition. The film is part of a larger project whose aim is to use dance and performance art as a tool to activate personal transformation and social change. The film screening was held at Alliance Française on Wednesday, 13th March. 

 It follows a young man named Baby Boy played by Frederick Sanga as he wanders through Dar es Salaam after abruptly being put out of his home. His escapades through the city blur the line between reality and fiction, bringing to life an array of curious characters that guide Baby Boy through his journey of becoming. Choreographer and director Matthieu Nieto shares; “I think there is a wonderful transformative power in dance and embodied practice. It is a great tool to help us move from thinking to feeling.”

 Dance is the backbone of WONDARLAND. Choreography is used in place of a script and a string of dance performances make up the bulk of the film’s plot. Nieto takes an unconventional approach to filmmaking in his debut; he has his cast and crew come up with the story and choreography themselves. “I didn't come in and tell anyone they should dance a certain way; it was all up to them” explains Nieto. He encouraged each of the dancers to first explore how they would build their characters. The prompts to get the cast thinking about their characters was something akin to, what would it look like to embody your best self? or what would it look like to embody your own superhero?” Once they had embodied their characters, they then had to think about how they could demonstrate their character through dance. One of the actors and singer-songwriter Christina Erick Malya shares; “I had to learn to dig deeper. Nieto would give me pointers like ‘let yourself flow like water’ or ‘be a bird’.  It initially made no sense to me but I had to embody those feelings and use them to craft my character.”

Similarly, this was a new approach to filmmaking for Director of Photography Kerage Kamuli. She shares; “it was an entirely different experience for me. I am used to directors finishing a script with a developed story before they approach me.”  What put them at ease was the ample preparation time they gave themselves. “We had more than 6 weeks of pre-production- that amount of preparation is often lacking in films out of the industry. By the time the cameras were involved we were all on the same page in terms of what we wanted to accomplish”, she explains. Kamuli adds that the creative freedom afforded led them to centring how they wanted the audiences to feel as opposed to any direct messaging. They wanted the feelings of introspection and self-acceptance that were present in the production process to bleed through to the final screening.

The world that WONDARLAND builds presents a woman in the magnificent blue dress (played by Christina Erick Malya) on top of a bridge encouraging Baby Boy to fight for the life he wants, and the woman by the fruit stall (played by multidisciplinary artist Regina Kihwele) offering that there might be a world beyond his present reality if he lets himself imagine it. There is also the mermaid-like figure (played by singer-songwriter Tofa Jaxx) suggesting what an alternative reality might look like if he lets himself be free. All three deliver incredible vocal performances to go along with the dance. Nieto confesses that he didn’t think the dance film would be as musical as it turned out to be. “The auditions pulled in so many talented people that music ended up being such a big part of the film,” he says. This opened the film up to more talented artists like producer Alkeys who composed the film’s original soundtrack. Each character is uniquely eccentric and a fun accentuation of the actors’ innermost feelings. Audiences are let into the end product of weeks of self-examination by the actors on what makes them feel othered and how they have learnt to embrace their quirks.

In shooting the film through Baby Boy’s eyes, audiences are invited to step into his shoes and embody how he might encounter these characters. We wonder how it might feel to come across someone unusual in some way, and how seeing them comfortable in their own skin might encourage us to embrace what makes us unusual ourselves. Or perhaps how it might simply make us feel less alone to know that others feel unusual too. The film is set in the different parts of the city that Baby Boy wanders to- natives might even recognise some of the locations. And, although these locations are real, there remains an otherworldly feel to the film. Nieto points out that, “if we let it, fiction can let us reflect on the present reality and also create what it could be.” 

WONDARLAND presents a world that is aware of what is present, but is not afraid to push the margins of reality. This tension between what is and what it could be is reinforced by close-ups, which are often preferred to wide shots that would show more of the space around the main character. The focus is on the subject’s emotions and interiority instead of his physical surroundings. Of course, the thin veil between reality and magic is not uncommon- particularly when you consider coastal culture that popularly retells stories of people being abducted by mermaid-like creatures when near the ocean. This culturally specific reference was a clear nod to the context in which this film was made.

One of the few instances where a wide shot is used happens towards the end of the film. The shot has the backdrop of the ocean, inspiring a meditative mood. The film leans into this mood by having Baby Boy examine his reflection on a mirror propped up on the sand. In his reflection we see him wearing a new set of clothes, signifying a shedding of old skin and an embracing of something new. Another instance is a grand ensemble musical performance. The performance is of a Singeli track, a genre often heard in times of celebration. Characters are dressed in extravagant and vibrant garments, as they sing and dance down the street. The song is about freedom, the kind that you intentionally foster for yourself. As they make their way through, they pull more and more dancers from the edge of the street to join their dance party. It’s as if the joy and freedom emanating from them is contagious, forcing those around to join in and embrace it.

In many ways this scene is representative of the film’s spirit. WONDARLAND’s charm lies in the fact that the introspective, vulnerable and joyful approach fostered in the production process, clearly made its way into the soul of the film. If you’re lucky enough to catch a screening, it might seep into yours too.