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Director Michael Skolnik On Filming With and Without the King
By Ramona Prioleau
Without the King, a documentary directed
by Michael Skolnik (On the Outs) profiles the lifestyle of the
majestic and infamous ruler of a nation where those of common
lineage endure impoverished lives. But this royal
highness is not a Tudor and the realm is not England. Instead, the
featured dominion is that of His Majesty King Mswati III, the
absolute monarch of modern-day Swaziland.
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Controlling billion of dollars, King
Mswati spends lavishly on creature comforts, country estates and a
succession of wives and offspring. Known as a jet-setting playboy,
the King dispenses funds from the country’s coffers on bling, bling
while many in his kingdom socially, economically and physically
suffer.
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Swaziland is a country of breathtaking natural vistas and a land rich in
cultural distinctiveness. But because of royal neglect and greed,
Swaziland is a country where many live in abject poverty and where the
HIV/AIDS prevalence rate is the highest in the world.
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In his critical expose, Skolnik not only captures the rise and
reign of King Mswati, but he also follows the forces that are assembling to hasten
the ruler's demise. Alongside glimpses into Swaziland's political, economic and
social ills, Without the King spotlights a dutiful child's transformation as
other children's lives are shortened. MOSAEC caught up with Director Michael Skolnik and asked
him about bringing Without the King to the screen.
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Click Play to Watch the Without the King Trailer
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Why did you want to
do a story that depicts the dual tale of a nation? How familiar
were you with the conditions in Swaziland before you decided to create
Without the King?
Michael Skolnik: In 1997, as a college Sophomore at UCLA, I
decided to study Zulu. I had always had an interest in visiting South
Africa and figured if I was gonna go there, I should learn the language
of the people.
My professor turned out to be Swazi and was an advisor to
King Mswati III. Over the years, I got the chance to meet the King, and
when he learned that I made movies, he asked me to make a movie about his
life. I happily agreed, as I thought he would make an amazing character
in a film.
When I got to Swaziland to film for the first time (I had
been there 4 times previously), the access I thought I had to the King
was quite different than what I was getting. On day 4, after waiting
every night for hours to see the King at one of his many palaces, I ran
into his daughter, the Princess, in the parking lot. I had met her in LA
when she was visiting with her father years ago, but now she was a
woman. I asked her if we could film her and she agreed. From there, the
film began.
After my first filming trip to Swaziland, I came home
to New York knowing that I had a potentially interesting film about King
Mswati III and his eldest child, Princess Sikhanyiso. I was fascinated
by a world so different than mine, where the King had 12 wives, 22
children and lived lavishly while his subjects were suffering from the
worst HIV prevalence rate in the world. I was ready to make a portrait
film of King Mswati III, but when the phone rang one early September
morning in 2005, things changed dramatically.
“Jabulani?” The mysterious voice said on the call
(calling me by my Zulu name given to me by my UCLA Zulu professor). The
man went on to tell me that I was being watched in Swaziland by various
people. He asked me if I wanted to see the real Swaziland. Not the
Swaziland from behind the palace gates or the chauffeured BMW x5’s? Of
course I was interested in telling a complete story of the Kingdom, so I
welcomed his invitation to film a secret, underground meeting of the
banned opposition political parties. That changed everything.
When we got back to Swaziland for the second trip, I
was approached by all kinds of people. Ordinary Swazis would show up at
my hotel and wait for me in the lobby at all hours of the day. I would
drive through Swaziland worrying if I was being followed by the King’s
security or by the people trying to overthrow the King. I knew I was
playing with fire, but something in my gut told me that I must be loyal
to the truth. I began to realize more and more that there were two
Swazilands; one of the Royal family and one of the ordinary citizen.
This would be the movie that we would make, no matter what happened. And
if we could bring those two sides together, it could be the start of
something special.
How did you find
the faces and voices that appear in Without the King’s original footage?
MS: Many of the people came to me -- there were many
wild stories of the things that they would say to me, when I would open
my hotel room door. At first, I was quite worried that everyone knew
where I was staying and felt that they could access to me at any hour of
the day. But, at a certain point, I welcomed the introductions, because
it allowed us to show things in our film that we may have never seen.
Mphandlana, the fellow wearing the Che
Guevara T-shirts drops “science” and
seems to have the potential to be the type of person who can bring about
change by peaceful means (if he’s allowed to do so) or by resorting to
violence. How did you find this “ballot or the bullet” revolutionary?
MS: I cannot really talk about how I was introduced to
Mphandlana (for his safety and the person who introduced us), but he
was someone who came to us pretty early on during making of the film.
What factors
influenced your featuring Pashu and her mom in the film?
MS: It was complete luck that we met Pashu and began
to film her. And when we started to film and realized how great of a
character she is, we met the Queen, and she was just as great. So, from
that point on, we knew that we had to include the two of them in the
film.
Happy accident or
intentional release of the film on the 22nd anniversary of Mswati’s
ascension to the throne? What if any commentary are you making –
especially given the film’s title?
MS: Complete accident -- no commentary at all.
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© 2007 First Run Features
A Fire-bomber in Swaziland as seen in Without the King
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What
appealed to you most about the
project?
MS: At first, I was drawn to this project because
of the personal relationship I had with the King since my days at
UCLA. However, as we started filming, I was drawn by the strength of
the Swazi people and by the strength of the Princess. I have a
tremendous amount of admiration and respect for the people of this
country.
In
watching the juxtaposition of rich versus poor, hungry vs. fed,
privileged vs. downtrodden, etc., the film gives the unshakable
impression that the “haves” either don’t know about the “have nots”
or don’t care. After completing this film, what do you think?
MS: I think that there is a general lack of
understanding by the “haves” about the “have nots” -- but I am not
sure if that is specific to Swaziland. I think in America we have
the same problem. I am not sure how much the rich, in this country,
even those that write charity checks, really know about the lives of
the “have nots.” I hope that this film can show both sides that they
need to have a dialogue.
What
challenges or limitations did you have in getting access to
historical footage?
MS: I was given complete access to the King’s
archive, which was stacks and stacks of beta tapes in a trailer next
to one of his palaces. They only had one or two beta machines in the
country, so I had to bring a beta deck from the states with me to
watch tape. The tapes were poorly labeled, so I would sit and watch
hours and hours of tape, hoping to find something interesting.
As a
director, how did you decide on how much/how far to go in terms of
documenting images of disease? Strife? Squalor? Were you concerned
that audiences would shy away from the film if you included too
much?
I was very conscious of how much to show; however
I am still not sure if we showed enough or too much. We didn’t want
to make a film that was predictable; however we wanted to make sure
that we didn’t ignore the dire poverty/misery that the majority of
the Swazis are living. Out of respect to them, we felt it was
important to show [these conditions].
In
planning the film, how did you prepare to shoot during a
protest rally where anything can “pop off”? Any stories from the
frontlines that you want to share?
MS: Hah. Nothing prepares you for violence.
Nothing. However, one small story. As we were filming this scene, we
got caught in the middle of it all. The police start firing and
everyone runs -- including us. We start running up a hill, and boom,
I feel like I’ve been shot. I can’t open my eyes. They’re burning
like the sun has crawled inside my eyelids. I call for my
cinematographer, James. He’s been hit too. I’m on the ground, like
“Man down! Man down!” He starts laughing at me. My eyes are in so
much pain, that I don’t know what he’s laughing about. It turns out
that we weren’t hit by anything except a big whiff of tear gas.
Thank goodness James had just shot in the West Bank and had
experience with tear gas, as he quickly explained we needed water
and onions. I run across the street to a local vegetable vendor and
I grab a bag of onions that cost 3 rand (50 cents). I give her a 100
rand bill (15 dollars) and have no time to ask for change. As James
instructs me, I start to rub the onions in my eyes -- to open the
tear ducts and let the poison out. The woman is dancing in the
middle of the street thanking Jesus, waving the 100 rand bill in the
air. Meanwhile, the police are still shooting all around us. And
that was just the first time we got hit with the tear gas. MORE >>>
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© 2007 First Run Features
His Majesty King Mswati III leads a traditional festival in
Without the King
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In
watching Without the King,
how are you personally affected by your own film?
MS: Wow. That is a hard question. To be honest, it
pains me to watch the film. I never studied film and I am not really a
big fan of film -- so when I watch the film, I do not look at a movie, I
look at a documentation of experiences that I went through -- almost
like a home video. So, I relive a lot of those moments when I watch the
film -- and many of them are quite painful. However, what really goes
through my mind, is that as hard as it was for me to live through those
moments, it is 1000% HARDER to actually live in those circumstances. So,
the pain comes from realizing that this is real and not a movie --- real
people are dying, real people are suffering -- real people already feel
dead -- real people are struggling to challenge the system -- real
people feel hope and real people feel hopelessness.
Why do you think Without the King, although
reflective of ruling monarchies, is still relevant to today’s democratic
societies?
MS: I think it is very relevant because Swaziland is a
country that is clinging to its past, but desperately trying to move
into the future. It is a tale of a nation trying to determine what
democracy looks like. The King feels that Swaziland is already a
democracy and the young men who are opposed to the King feel they are
living in a dictatorship. I think it is a very interesting study of
traditionalism versus modernity and what that looks like in the 21st
century.
What impact do you want Without the King to have?
MS: I hope, in the deepest part of my heart, that it
is a peaceful impact. But, I hope that the Swazis can see this film and
really talk about their future and how things can change for the better.
I also hope that the American viewers can see that Africa is complicated
and that Africans are beautiful people, who are passionate about their
homeland. And that ultimately, the solution for any nation’s problems,
has to come form the people of that nation.
Thus far, have there been any unexpected
consequences from the filming and release of
Without the King?
MS: I cannot say that what we have experienced has
been unexpected. But, we have received some strong messages from some
people who we do not know. They are not threats, but very close to
threats. And I have recently read that there is a rumor in Swaziland
that if someone in Swaziland possesses a copy of the film, they can be
charged with sedition. I hope that is not the case.
Why do you think the situation in Swaziland gets
so little ink in the news? Given the conditions in Swaziland, why do you
think the world has not shunned its government?
MS: Maybe, because they don’t have oil or diamonds.
Really, I don’t know --- I am shocked as well. Bush’s first round of
funding for his Africa AIDS initiative did not include Swaziland. This
baffled me. The second round, which was just announced in the past few
weeks, does include Swaziland, which hopefully is a good thing. I hope
that this film can bring some light to the country, because it is really
the only country I know in the world that is on the verge of extinction
-- HUMAN extinction. When a HIV prevalence rate is 42.6%, in a country
of only 1.1 million people, there is a good chance in the next 20 years;
there will be no more Swazis. I am deeply concerned about this. MORE >>>
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As with any contemporary film, the story continues
to evolve. How did you know that you had enough in the can so that the
editing process could begin?
MS: Great question. With films like this you can
always continue to shoot. I read the Swazi papers everyday, and I am
always expecting to read that there has been a coup or extreme
rioting...and then I think, I would probably have to go back and shoot
more. But, we really tried to make the arch of the film Pashu’s
transformation. So, when I interviewed her after she visited the AIDS
orphanage, I knew that was the ending of the film.
Speaking of editing, Martha Skolnik
is your mom. What are your top rules for transitioning from son to mom’s boss
and back again :-)?
MS: Hah! I should let my mother answer that. There are
no rules, except to recognize that mother taught me just about
everything I know -- along with my wonderful father. I have wonderful,
wonderful parents who are great teachers. They taught me about roots and
they taught me about wings. I am forever grateful to them.
However, we are thinking about making a reality show
about my mother and me. And the opening shot is my mother riding on the
back of my Vespa with me through the streets of NY. But, in all
seriousness, my mother is an extremely, extremely talented editor and I
am blessed to have her by my side. We yell and scream at times, but
before she goes home at night, we are sure to say “I love you” to each
other, so we know that we are mother/son first and director/editor
second. She has fired me and I have fired her. Many times! But, through
thick and thin, we have seemed to make movies together that have moved a
lot of people. And that is what is should be about.
Red Envelope Entertainment
is one of the film's producers. How do you think the
entrance of a Netflix-backed company will impact the exposure of
documentaries?
MS: I think Red Envelope and Netflix are GREAT for
documentaries. From what I have been told, documentaries are the most
rented films by subscribers to Netflix. Without these companies, I am
not sure how our films would really get seen. I am thankful to their
commitment to filmmakers, especially documentary filmmakers.
What other projects are you working on?
MS: I am finishing another documentary with a great
co-director I have worked with in the past, Rebecca Chaiklin, about
Wyclef Jean and his quest to bring peace to Haiti. And I am going back
to narrative features, as I am directing a film that Brian
Grazer/Imagine is producing about Haiti as well. I am also excited to
report that I have officially partnered with FADER Films and we will
begin to finance and produce great movies in the coming months and
years. M
April 2008
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