Border Crossings

When Jose Manuel Novoa, Madrid-based director of the docudrama Eyengui: God of Dreams, attempted the first-ever Pygmy casting call among the Baka people of southeast Cameroon, he encountered a few difficulties. For starters, almost all of the 300 tribe members were unable to pass the first test: looking into the camera, stating their names and why they were there. Recalls Novoa, 'Just when I thought I would have to change the script because no one would be able to play the part [of the protagonist], Anguende appeared. He was a born actor, the 'Robert deNiro of the jungle,' as we affectionately began to call him.'

March 1, 2004

When Jose Manuel Novoa, Madrid-based director of the docudrama Eyengui: God of Dreams, attempted the first-ever Pygmy casting call among the Baka people of southeast Cameroon, he encountered a few difficulties. For starters, almost all of the 300 tribe members were unable to pass the first test: looking into the camera, stating their names and why they were there. Recalls Novoa, 'Just when I thought I would have to change the script because no one would be able to play the part [of the protagonist], Anguende appeared. He was a born actor, the 'Robert deNiro of the jungle,' as we affectionately began to call him.'