TV was not creative enough so I moved to film - Agnes Yougang

The young Cameroonian filmmaker Agnes Yougang who ventured into movie production in 2003 after she earned her Bilingual Bachelor of Arts, has ceased to believe in its potential in the world of arts. Despite the lack of development of stakeholders, it holds up, and has great ambitions.

Tell us, who is Agnes Yougang?

I am Agnes Yougang, a passionate young Cameroonian who is into art and film. I hold a degree in Modern Bilingual Literature obtained at the University of Dschang in 2003. I was part of the theater group in the university even though I had already taken a keen interest in theater back in high school. So after graduation, no other area was of interest to me except cinema art. This explains the direction I am in now.

And you are already featuring in mini-series at the same time?

Of course, I’m not limited and my first appearance was in ‘Prévenir ou mourir’, a film about the prevention against AIDS in 2002. The first role I got was with the help of a director named Mbalmayo who wanted our theater for a film. But it is also thanks to this experience I discovered the world of the other side of the camera.

Did you go through training workshops and have you benefited from the advice and assistance of some seniors?

Yes, when I arrived in Yaoundé, I partook in training for two years in HDN Pictures and other courses, especially in Burkina Faso. I even visited Belgium still for development training in art, and then proceeded to France.

And what happened to Agnes after acquiring much knowledge in the field of art and cinema?

I joined the TV channel ‘New TV’ where I worked for three years. It was from there that I met a lot of people in the film industry and I made lots of contacts

Today you have gone solo; how long exactly?

It was in 2010 that I started on my own, because honestly I realized that the TV was a little too closed and lacked creativity. I had a burning desire to create my own projects, and I’ve done a lot lately.

Can you mention some of them?

My first film was called ‘Gigolo’ which was sold to channel ‘Tv5’ and aired on several channels in the country. I love this film because it speaks to me a lot and this is my first work. It will also be screened at the Goethe Institute as part of RIFIC as the opening film. It should be noted that from October 29 at 17h there will be releases of short films. I should add that I am also interested in documentaries. I even produced one that won the "Prix du Jury du festival Image" live in 2013.

I'm currently in the middle of another compilation, ‘Nsam’ which is focused on disaster and will be released under the management of Malo Pictures. I also have several dramas and series of short films that a lot of people will discover. I worked mostly with my friend Francis K. Tene.

What are some of the movies you have come up with?

In terms of movies there are, ‘You will not die’, ‘Make your choice’ and several others that have escaped me at the moment.

Who are some of the filmmakers you like?

In Cameroon I like the director, Gérard Nguélé, he impresses me very much with his work. There is also the young Pierre L. Simo; but I would not limit myself to the directors only, because there are also technicians who do an outstanding job like Joel Zegua and producer, Cyril Masso.