Private Project

MAALLE

What will you do if you're told by your doctor that you don't have long to live?
That is the situation Maalle, who is wanted for elephant poaching, finds himself. He decides to undo some of his wrongs before he dies. He escapes from his hospital bed to go and uncover the elephant tusks that he has hidden in the forest with the intention of returning to the government authorities through a greedy and corrupt politician. The Police is tipped on Maalle’s where about by a passer-by who hopes to claim the ransom. So the chase starts, in this fast-paced action movie, where the hunter becomes the hunted. Maalle’s son, Moto outsmarts him and takes the tusks before Maalle could get there. Jennifer, the girlfriend of Moto and the link with network of elephant tusks traffickers, is caught between love and betrayal.

  • ALASAMBOM NYINGCHUO
    Director
    U-TURN, WHEN THE HEART SAYS YES
  • ASHU EGBE
    Director
    U-TURN, WHEN THE HEART SAYS YES
  • ASHU EGBE
    Writer
    U-TURN, WHEN THE HEART SAYS YES
  • ASHU EGBE
    Producer
    U-TURN, WHEN THE HEART SAYS YES
  • COSSON CHINEPO
    Key Cast
  • VUGAR SAMSON
    Key Cast
  • TABI-AYUK TAMBI
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Genres:
    Drama
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 20 minutes 2 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 14, 2017
  • Production Budget:
    27,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Cameroon
  • Country of Filming:
    Cameroon
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - ALASAMBOM NYINGCHUO, ASHU EGBE

Ashu Egbe is a Cameroonian filmmaker. His objective is to produce contemporary and contextual films and thus contribute in the promotion of social dialogue in the community - raising awareness on social ills.
Below is his list of productions:
• 1990 – Drama-documentary titled ”Blood Disorder Not Disease”; which was winner of the 2nd WHO prize during the 1st Festival of Film and Television organized by URTNA in 1994 at Nairobi. This film was broadcasted, through URTNA, on 18 African national TV channels.
• 2009 – First feature film “When the Heart Says Yes” (98 Mins). This was broadcasted on some African TVs including Africa Magic and CRTV.
• 2011 – Second feature film “IN IT TOGETHER” (105 Mins)
• 2013 – Third feature film “U-TURN” (86 Mins).
 * It was well acclaimed at the 2013 Arusha Film Festival
 * It was in competition at the 2014 Yaoundé Ecrans Noirs Festival.
 * Winner of 3rd prize at the 2015 RATU International Festival.
 * In January 2016 the movie distribution house, Cote Ouest, acquired distribution rights for the film
 * The French version, “Volte-Face” was awarded best film during 2017 Festival International de Cinema de Bafoussam (FICIB)
• 2017 – Fourth feature film “Maalle” (80 Mins)

Add Director Biography
Director Statement


My vision is to produce films that deal with contemporary socio-politico-environmental issues in Africa. After our successes in films dealing with health (When the Heart Says Yes) and politics within the African context (U-Turn) we are coming this time with a thought-provoking film to raise awareness about the need to protect our environment.

I hail from the dense rainforest zone of Cameroon (West Africa). I remember, during my childhood, how one of my uncles was involved in the killing of elephants for the tusks. I was made to understand that he sold them for a lot of money. But what was interesting is that he lived a reckless live and never achieved much compared to other people in that community who were into farming and trading.

“Maalle” is a low budget movie in which the cast and crew opted to sacrifice a lot to see the movie come to life. The film was shot using the Canon C300 HD digital technology. The best Cameroonian actors and crew were used to bring to screen this very important subject. Part of the film was shot around the Campo Ma’an national reserve in the south of Cameroon revealing the natural and beautiful landscapes of the equatorial rainforest.

Maalle, the title of the film is also the name of the main actor. Wanted by the police for elephant poaching he is told by his doctor that he does not have long to live. Like most people, he decides to undo some of his wrongs, especially with his family, before he dies. He escapes from his hospital bed to go and uncover the elephant tusks that he has hidden in the forest with the intention of returning to the government authorities through his corrupt and greedy politician friend. The film is an exhibit of greed, corruption, love and betrayal that is a day-to-day life in some communities.

It is estimated that 30,000 to 38,000 elephants are poached every year for their Ivory. The film, therefore, will come timely to join governments and NGOs to raise awareness about the fight against elephant poaching; the need to have our elephants (and other protected species) in the forest alive.