Hans Schomburgk, un pionnier du cinéma

  • Hans Schomburgk, un pionnier du cinéma
Genre : Historical
Type : Documentary
Original title :
Principal country concerned :
Column : Cinema/tv
Year of production : 2019
Running time : 91 (in minutes)

Exhuming her filmography, Anna Schmidt follows in the footsteps of the German Hans Schomburgk (1880-1967), who captivated the European public by documenting the transformations of the black continent over six decades.

In 1898, at the age of 18, the Hamburg-born German Hans Schomburgk set foot on the dark continent for the first time. Enlisted in the British army in South Africa, he took part in expeditions organised by the British, before becoming chief geographer for the Liberian government. At one time a big-game hunter, the young man specialised in the capture of animals - including extremely rare dwarf hippos - sent to Europe, where ethnographic museums and zoological parks were developed. In 1912, having received early recognition, Hans Schomburgk was admitted to the Royal Geographical Society in London and convinced a production company to finance his first film expedition to Africa. Although the company's lack of technical knowledge led to a fiasco, two years later the apprentice director achieved great success with the documentary Hiking and Trails in Africa. Suffering from the two world wars - the Allies confiscated his reels during the Great War, as did the Nazis in 1940 - Hans Schomburgk managed to bounce back by going back to film the endangered fauna of the Kruger Park or the thousand-year-old traditions of the San, until his Farewell to Africa in 1956.

Personal development
This fascinating documentary explores the journey of the adventurer, writer and filmmaker Hans Schomburgk, comparing rare images from his films with the realities of Africa today. Interspersed with analyses by African and European academics, it traces the personal evolution of a man who, without completely shaking off the prejudices of his time, became a fervent defender of the animal cause and advocated greater consideration for black peoples, criticising the greed of European colonisers.

Documentary by Anna Schmidt (Germany, 2019, 1h31mn) - Production: Schmidt Film

Summary for official catalogues

Exhumant sa filmographie, Anna Schmidt part sur les traces de l'Allemand Hans Schomburgk (1880-1967), qui subjugua le public européen en documentant les transformations du continent noir sur six décennies.

Partners

  • Arterial network
  • Media, Sports and Entertainment Group (MSE)
  • Gens de la Caraïbe
  • Groupe 30 Afrique
  • Alliance Française VANUATU
  • PACIFIC ARTS ALLIANCE
  • FURTHER ARTS
  • Zimbabwe : Culture Fund Of Zimbabwe Trust
  • RDC : Groupe TACCEMS
  • Rwanda : Positive Production
  • Togo : Kadam Kadam
  • Niger : ONG Culture Art Humanité
  • Collectif 2004 Images
  • Africultures Burkina-Faso
  • Bénincultures / Editions Plurielles
  • Africiné
  • Afrilivres

With the support of