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No Trespassing Watchman - It's about a hen's tale

The life of a hunting ground watchman is profoundly threatened when he tries to bring home a hen wandering in the middle of the forest.

  • Ravi Sembhoo
    Director
  • Ramesh Khedun
    Director
  • Ravi Sembhoo
    Writer
  • Ravi Sembhoo
    Producer
  • Curtis Louis
    Key Cast
    "Jacques"
  • Denis Pacha
    Key Cast
    "Noel"
  • Kate Desveaux
    Key Cast
    "Marie"
  • Ashok Dabeedoal
    Key Cast
    "Mahton"
  • Krishna Hoober
    Key Cast
    "Goongah"
  • Venisha G.
    Key Cast
    "The WItch ( Chourell)"
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    No Trespassing Gardien - Pou enn ti zistwar poul
  • Project Type:
    Feature, Short, Television
  • Runtime:
    53 minutes 46 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 12, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    24,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Mauritius
  • Country of Filming:
    Mauritius
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Ravi Sembhoo, Ramesh Khedun

Independent filmmaker Ravi Sembhoo (Writer-Director-Producer, a.k.a S.K. RAVI) is a native of the island of Mauritius.
He holds a Masters degree in IT Systems Engineering and a “Master en Adminstration des Entreprises” ( MBA). He has had a rich career in IT in the Aviation, Telecoms and Media sectors. He followed an inner call and left his professional career to embark onto the filmmaking adventure. To hone his film making skills he has collaborated on, and assisted in various small film projects in Mauritius. In 2021, just after the second COVID lockdown, he prepared and shot his first short documentary - "The last Bamboo Basket Weavers: (Original Title in French "Les Vanniers du Bambou").
In 2022, he shot his first medium length fiction film "No Trespassing Watchman- It's about a hen's tale" (Original Title in Mauritian Creole - "No Trespassing Gardien - Pou Enn Ti Zistwar Poul"). The film is inspired from a Mauritian folk tale , is set in the 70s and was shot on location in Mauritius . The film was completed in 2023.
S.K. Ravi believes that every country has something unique to offer to the world. His goal is to write Mauritian stories and shoot films with a strong Mauritian cultural flavour. He is actively writing stories and preparing other film projects.

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Director Statement

"No trespassing Gardien – Pou enn ti zistwar poul" is an incursion into the 70s Mauritius. I wanted to share popular old “mysterious, even horror stories” that happen on the island which we used to tell as kids to spooke our friends. These stories are rooted in the rich Mauritian folklore which itself evolved mainly from Asian and African traditions and superstitions brought by the inhabitants who came to Mauritius as slaves or indentured labourers. I also wanted to give an insight into the way modest people lived and some of their traditional practices. It is a culture that is slowly disappearing but still exists today in certain villages.
So I found myself collecting several stories which I reworked. The one which lead to this film was inspired from a story told by the grand mother of my friend and co-director of the film , Ramesh Khedun. We discussed a lot and realized that a short film was not going to be enough given what we wanted to tell. At the same time, we had a shoestring budget, and sadly we could not afford a full length feature film, hence we redrafted the script and settled for the 54-minute format, rather suitable for television.
The shooting was not easy at all. We had problems filming the many scenes in the forest; there was a lot of rain which made things really tough.
All cast of the film are non-actors for whom it was a first experience in front of the camera. They showed great commitment and professionalism and delivered beyond expectations. It was really fun working with them.