Uganda's Tarantino (What's stopping you from making your movie?)

I backed their kickstarter. How could I not? Their enthusiasm is infectious and the embodiment of everything that makes me want to do this thing. And stripped of everything that makes me question my ambition (paperwork, legal, safety, funding depression)
 
+1 on the enthusiasm, on the can-do spirit and invention-mother-of-necessity. That said, read that article carefully. The guy who went over there, Alan Hofmanis, may or may not have reached the end of his journey:

"But on his personal blog - Mud, Blood & Wooden Guns - he hints at darker moments. He has lost 55 lbs (25kg) in weight since he arrived 15 months ago. In October last year he compared his situation to the 70s cult thriller, Sorcerer: "I wound up in a third world country with no way to get home… It does not end well.""

What is the end game here for him? He's living in a slum, and doing those, well, films, and? I mean, what happens then - in 2, 5, 10 years? A hint was given:

"But in the end, it may be Hofmanis' story that attracts Hollywood's attention."

Is the natural exit for him to cash in on conventional Hollywood attention? Have his story told and ride that to a conventional career back home? Bully for him, I guess - and a fantastic life experience either way, for sure. But what of the original guys? Keep going on with $200 films forever and ever? I mean, I don't believe Hofmanis is exploiting them, or ever had any such design, clearly he was just honestly taken by the whole enthusiasm and adventure of it, but the truth remains, that he has options - he can always cash in and move on. The Ugandan guys, not so much. In that light, what is the moral of the story for us, dvxusers here? You are where you are. The lessons of Uganda apply only so much to your situation if you happen to be in LA or Phoenix Arizona, or Singapore, or wherever. Enthusiasm and perseverance and ambition and inventiveness are valuable wherever you are and are universal values. But newsflash - this type of person is to be found everywhere, not just Uganda - including where you are. And what does that buy you? I've known a lot of such guys, and I can tell you, expectations are different depending on where you are. You can't necessarily sell Uganda-type movies in Los Angeles... we got those guys too, in spades.

The takeaway here is whatever you wish to see in it. Enthusiasm is always valuable - and even better when it's paired with a shrewd understanding of your own individual situation.
 
I was looking less at Hofmanis' decision to drop everything and move to Uganda, and more at Isaac Nabwana's reckless abandon in making films despite severe limitations.. That's what inspired my comment about drive and resourcefulness.
 
I live in Uganda, and the thing is that these films are viewed here the same kind of way that people view The Room, or Birdemic, or Sharknado (or anything by that weird guy on RedUser) in the US. I mean enthusiasm is great, and I like being entertained. But sometimes films are entertaining for reasons other than what the director intended, so you have to wonder where the entertainment is coming from, and at whose expense.

But its kind of sad to me that Hofman is probably going to get the attention at the end of this, rather than the original filmmakers.
 
The low/no budget scripted film as a form of entertainment has largely been replaced by the amateur youtube video of things like someone shooting a bottle rocket out of their bum.

 
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