67th Cannes Film Festival: A Meeting with York-Fabian Raabe | the Film-Maker Behind ‘Children of Sodom’

Yesterday, I met up with German film-maker, York-Fabian Raabe at the New York restaurant just opposite the Cannes Film Festival Village to chat about his new short film-‘Children of Sodom’ which he has brought to this year’s Cannes Film Festival—and of course, to have a drink too.

‘Children of Sodom’, directed by York-Fabian Raabe takes a special conceptual approach into the lives of two street children in Agbogbloshi, Accra to showcase what a normal day looks like for these children. The documentary separates the cinematic experience from its informative nature.

As it stands now, there are between 30,000 and 50,000 street children living at “Agbogbloshi” in Accra and these children who are full of energy know of nothing beyond struggling to live each day—with the hope of making it to the next.

Domestic violence, abandonment, death of parents or the hope for a better life are reasons, why they come to “Agbogbloshi” and in order to survive, the children take on several duties, including; collecting and sorting rubbish, begging or carrying goods across the market.

Due to the hazardous living conditions in Agbogbloshi, it received the nickname “Sodom and Gomorrah”. It is the lives of these children who have no voice and future—who society seems to have forgotten about that the German film-maker-York-Fabian Raabe has decided to consider in his latest short film-‘Children of Sodom’.

During our chit chat, York told me about what brought him to Ghana, the wonderful experience he had working in Ghana—and interestingly, he mentioned that his production house is currently working on a feature film which will take the ‘Children of Sodom’ story to the next stage.

‘Children of Sodom’ has already been taken to over 26 Film Festivals around the world—and it is currently at Cannes’s Short Films Corner.

According York-Fabian Raabe, Ghana has something great to offer to the world film industry—noting that, the natural light from the sun in Ghana is perfect for filming. And even if the amazing sceneries are not what a film-maker wants, the greatness of natural light is something you cannot produce.

I’ve scheduled a video interview with York-Fabian Raabe tomorrow at the German Pavilion to dig more into his Ghanaian themed productions and also talk about the opportunities out here at the Cannes Film Festival for film-makers.

Check out the film’s website: http://www.childrenofsodom.com