Jaguar

Jean Rouch often experimented with what he called "ethno-fiction", a blend of fiction and documentary, and Jaguar is perhaps the prime example of his idiosyncratic style. In the film, three young men from Ghana – Lam, the cowherd, Illo the fisherman, and Damouré, the ladies' man – set out from their Savannah homeland to trek to the cities on the coast in search of adventure and work. Shot in the mid-1950s, the film was made largely without synchronised sound. Several years later, Rouch recorded a narration track and an improvised commentary by the participants, reflecting on the action on the screen. This final version of the film was released in 1967 and attracted wide-spread attention for its inventiveness, its rich vein of humour, ethnographic detail and political implications. (MFFK Febiofest)