Eat Bitter
Against the backdrop of the civil war in the Central African Republic, a Chinese construction manager and local African laborer work on opposite ends of the spectrum to construct a sparkling new bank. As deadlines loom, unexpected twists threaten their jobs, relationships, and plans for a better life. An eye-opening drama about these two men in their pursuit of wealth and happiness.
Interview with Director Pascale Appora-Gnekindy, Co-Director Ningyi Sun, and Producer Mathieu Faure
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
PASCALE: I made this film to show that we often have too many prejudices towards others, people we don’t know the cultures that are not ours. Thus, giving voice to the voiceless – like our local characters – and showing that even if a person is not educated, can have values and be useful to our society. Or that those who have not found their place in what is often believed to be "successful", does not always mean that they have no skills or that they are less than nothing.
NINGYI: I made this film because, despite less than 2 million Chinese working in the African continent, there have been few films focused on telling a personal story of a common immigrant worker. News in the Western media tends to politicize this presence. I wanted to break down this obsession of understanding the Chinese presence in Africa from a political and economic perspective and go into the joy, adventure, gains and losses in a Chinese immigrant life, as the one that I, a nomad that grew up in China but lived in three continents, have been living for over a decade.
MATHIEU: Besides the fact that this story would be directed by two women with a genuine connection to their respective communities, what convinced me to produce this documentary was the fact that Eat Bitter would be a character-driven film, captured in a verité style, with universal layers, featuring elements that connect us all.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
NINGYI: Few films have been produced from the Central African Republic, especially documentaries. Eat Bitter is the second feature documentary produced and shot in this country in recent history While being one of the poorest countries in the world, it is rising from its colonial past and marching towards modernization driven by an influx of foreign skilled labor coming from China, Egypt, Lebanon etc. Despite riding the wave of globalization, most Central Africans still suffer from civil instability and protracted poverty. This film illustrates the struggle through an intimate portrayal of two men, and two families from the Central African Republic and China, in their pursuit of love and happiness amidst struggles with poverty and a looming civil war.
PASCALE: It is very complicated to film in Bangui. The Central African Republic has always been presented in a way that does not make you want to visit it or live there. Watching Eat-Bitter will allow you to realize the difference between what is said and our reality. It allows you to discover all the beauty and richness of this country, despite the fact that it remains one of the poorest in the world.
MATHIEU: Ask yourself how many films you have watched from the Central African Republic and what you know about this country.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
PASCALE: Being Central African, a woman, with a disability, and working in a field full of men is not easy. I had to impose myself and my vision just like our main character, Thomas. He hopes to be successful in a field that is looked down upon by a lot of people. He is eager to sacrifice his life, his love relationships, and his pride to get a better life for his family.
NINGYI: A Chinese national and documentary filmmaker, I am drawn to stories about the Chinese diaspora that contain a strong realist value. As a nomad having lived in China, Brazil, Singapore, the Central African Republic, and now the US, like protagonist Jianmin Luan in our film Eat Bitter, I am driven by a desire to succeed, yet I’ve become aware of losing the close touch with my family and leaving some beautiful relationships behind. By telling the stories of the Chinese diaspora, I look for an understanding of this uprooted life that I have chosen.
MATHIEU: This documentary tackles universal themes so that people can relate from all around the world. It is about immigration, fatherhood, assimilation, sacrifices, family dilemma, work ambition and a chase of a better future.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
PASCALE: Eat Bitter being a vérité documentary, we initially thought of making a short film focusing mainly on the sand divers. But our characters’ stories became more and more interesting, so we decided to go deeper and show their life, and what they were going through on a daily basis.
MATHIEU: We filmed during a pandemic, when there was a threat of a coup, during sensitive elections, in a country where there are power outages, and where everything is very volatile. The material that we had was so rich, our characters’ evolution was so deep, so intertwined with the economic and political reality that we decided to make a feature of this short documentary. A film works when there is an X factor. Our secondary characters brought a lot to this film.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
NINGYI: In Europe, the audience found the film providing an incredibly fresh perspective. Most news that touches on the Chinese presence in Africa does not give a humanized depiction. This film offers a chance for the audience to dive into the gains and losses in the life of a Chinese and Central African person, which draws profound empathy towards and inspires a nuanced understanding of Chinese and Central Africans that happen to be living in the same land as they pursue their personal growth and success. Meanwhile, back in China, the audience was deeply moved by the depiction of the two men and their families. They appreciate an honest view of Central Africans’ complicated feelings towards Chinese presence and an opportunity to dive into the sweetness and bitterness of a Chinese immigrant’s life in a faraway land with a distinct history and culture.
PASCALE: During a private screening with our characters and a few guests, some said that from now on the way they would see and approach sand workers in Bangui will no longer be the same. It is a victory for me, for us. We can change people’s perceptions through our art.
MATHIEU: People are impressed by the footage, the quality of the story and its uniqueness. Too often people try to put a film in a box, labeling it as a “clash of civilizations” in our case. But it is not. This documentary is a gem because it shows a reality of a country, of locals and Chinese immigrants that has not been shown before; a reality between two families that have nothing in common and yet are so relatable and connected to all of us.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
NINGYI: The most challenging question from the audience was during a Q and A session in Toronto, Canada. The audience asked if I, as director, “normalize” the sufferings of Central Africans in the film. It’s a thought-provoking question and I did some quick reflection on the spot. What is “normal”? It can be a relative concept. I think eventually it boils down to humanity. It’s suffering for a people to struggle with constant civil war and protracted poverty, and it’s confusing to see the majority of its population still in poverty, despite a rich flow of international capital that has been coming in; it’s also suffering for immigrants to be separated from their families for over a decade only to triple their salaries. Everything exists for a reason but we should definitely ask the question: are these people depicted in the film living with decency? Are their sacrifices worthwhile? Where do we stand as a viewer that has also been caught up in capitalism and globalization?
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
NINGYI: I wish more people would come to movie theaters to watch this film and experience the life of a local family and a Chinese immigrant family in the Central African Republic. We also look forward to questions from and discussions with the audience around the communities that we touch on in this film.
MATHIEU: Always happy to answer questions, and to talk more about what is it like to produce a film in the Central African Republic. There is a lot to say!
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
NINGYI: We definitely look to bring sales agents, buyers, distributors, and journalists onboard to talk about this film and bring it to a wider world audience. Meanwhile, speaking to film festival directors is also helpful as we are still doing the festival tour.
MATHIEU: We have already had a good film festival run around the world. The more we are interviewed and talk about the film, the better it is.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
PASCALE: We would also like for people to try to get to know each other. When you don’t understand a culture, when you find yourself having communication issues with people from a different background, just break the ice and communicate. It is always easier to condemn, ignore or look down than understand and be open-minded.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
NINGYI: An interesting question for me would be, were there any stereotypes about Chinese or Central Africans that you had shaken or broken down after watching this film? What were they? What does this experience of watching documentaries mean? What relevant documentaries would you like to watch more after watching Eat Bitter?
PASCALE: Is there a difference between being Chinese and Central African? How can we help tell stories in the Central African Republic?
Would you like to add anything else?
MATHIEU: Invest in young filmmakers, go to Africa, believe in local artists and help them tell their stories. Sponsoring, giving money is a good start but in the documentary world, it is not enough. Training, workshops and help throughout the process of making documentaries are more helpful, especially in communities where it is hard to get access.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
MATHIEU: I am working on a series of documentaries for Apple.
PASCALE: I am working on a documentary about survivors of physical violence during the wars that shook my country from 2002 to 2016.
NINGYI: I continue expanding my body of realist work. Currently, I am writing the script for a fiction film based on real events in the life of a Chinese immigrant woman who worked as a sex worker and experienced a series of police harassment in Flushing, Queens, in 2017.
Interview: July 2023
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Eat Bitter
Against the backdrop of the civil war in the Central African Republic, a Chinese construction manager and local African laborer work on opposite ends of the spectrum to construct a sparkling new bank. As deadlines loom, unexpected twists threaten their jobs, relationships, and plans for a better life. An eye-opening drama about these two men in their pursuit of wealth and happiness.
Length: 1:35:00
Director: Pascale Appora-Gnekindy; Ningyi Sun
Producer: Mathieu Faure
Writer: Mathieu Faure; Ningyi Sun; Pascale Appora-Gnekindy
About the writer, director and producer:
APPORA-GNEKINDY PASCALE was born in Bunia, DRC, and raised in Bangui, CAR. After studying Computer Science at the University of Bangui, she spent 7 years as a computer specialist in a telephone company. She started her career as a director and editor on informal projects. Her interest in filming led her to use her small camera to film ceremonies and reunions with friends and family. This passion prompted her to apply for a highly selective film training course in CAR organized by the Atelier Varan in Paris. She then passed a test for documentary filmmaking training in 2017, from which she was selected. At the end of her training, she directed her first short film - Mes Yeux Pour Entendre, 19', 2017. She continued her training with the Varan workshops in Paris and the Alliance Française of Bangui, and directed her second short film, Deux Sœurs, 20', 2019. Her films will be shown at international festivals. Pascale is currently producing and directing her second feature I Londo Awe, a documentary mixed with fiction. She has been working since 2020 on her first feature film Eat-Bitter, released in March 2023, a co-production between the Central African Republic and the United States that has received funding from Hot Docs-Blue Ice Docs Fund; IDFA Bertha Fund; Alter Ciné; DocA; Chicken&Eggs; Sundance. Eager to give talented young Central Africans the chance to make films, she decided to set up a writing workshop, "Ecrire à Bangui", whose first edition took place in June 2023, to teach the basics of film writing. Living in a country that is not open to the world, cinema is too. Through this workshop, we hope to raise the profile of Central African cinema and its authors.
A Chinese national, Ningyi Sun is a film director, writer, and producer. She has lived and worked on three continents and speaks English, French, and Portuguese. She co-directed her first feature documentary Eat Bitter in 2023. Currently based in New York, she is writing a feature screenplay based on real events in the life of an immigrant sex worker in Queens, New York. She produced, wrote, and acted in her first narrative short film Intimate which won Best Romantic Short at the Independent Shorts Awards in 2022. Before diving into the filmmaking world, she earned a master’s degree from Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and worked for the United Nations peace operation in the Central African Republic.
MATHIEU FAURE is a producer, editor and independent filmmaker who won the 2018 Student Academy Awards in the Domestic Documentary category for his personal film called An Edited Life. In 2018 he graduated from the News and Documentary Masters program at the L. Carter Journalism Institute at NYU. Since then, Mathieu worked for the CNN Documentary unit, before joining Don Lemon's team on his show CNN Tonight. After that, Mathieu was a field producer and worked on a series of documentaries for CNN + and Fareed Zakaria. Prior to the US, Mathieu was a reporter inside a breaking newsroom in Paris, France. He worked for four years and produced articles and video reports for M6 television. Mathieu graduated Magna Cum Laude from La Sorbonne University in Paris where he obtained his Master's degree in Political Science. Mathieu is currently a field producer at Apple.
Twitter: @EatBitterFilm
Instagram: @eat_bitter_the_film
Hashtags used:#EatBitter
Website: www.eat-bitter.com