Simon Timah is a producer and director originally from Cameroon and based in the Netherlands. He is the owner of Timah Vision Production and has recently produced a movie titled, “Will You Forgive Her?“. Below is AC’s interview with Simon Timah.
AC: Good day Mr Simon?
Simon: Thank you!
AC: Mr Simon can you please tell me a little about yourself?
Simon: I am a Cameroonian by birth that lives in Holland. I am not only a filmmaker but I also make event videos, music videos and documentaries.
AC: Did you study filmmaking in Cameroon?
Simon: No, In Cameroon where I was born, I studied Geography at the (University of Buea) and when I moved to Holland I decided to switch and study video and filmmaking. I studied digital filmmaking in SAE institute, Rotterdam, Holland.
AC: What motivated you into filmmaking?
Simon: My father being a preacher motivated me because he always told interesting stories whenever he preaches. As a child, I asked myself what if these stories are acted rather than being told. From then on I started performing in church events.
AC: What makes you outstanding?
Simon: What made me outstanding at the age of 11 was that while others were performing stories from the bible in churches, I was leading kids to perform fiction stories which were related to my father’s stories and other real life stories.
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AC: How long have you been in the film industry?
Simon: This is my fourth year, but this is my first film. Written, directed, edited and produced by me for Production.
AC: What challenges are you facing in the industry?
Simon: Thank you for this question. This interview would have been incomplete without this question. There are basically three challenges. My biggest hurdle is funding. I am a good film script writer but putting these scripts on the television or cinema means a lot of money. Another one is the lack of trained personnel to work behind the camera with me. I have to train cameramen before shooting a movie. I am not comfortable working with people who are untrained in the profession because when the end product is a failure, the blame will be mine. Lastly, marketing being a newcomer in the market, I have a long way to go for my movies to be known.
AC: Can you brief us about your new movie “Will You Forgive Her?
Simon: It is a movie about an illegal immigrant couple who thirty minutes before their wedding (church wedding) the police arrested the groom. The wedding actually did not take place as a result of the groom’s arrest. It later took the illegal couple seven years to be legal in Holland. However, what they passed through before becoming legal is what the movie is all about.
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AC: When is your next movie coming up?
Simon: In 2012
AC: What words of motivation do you have for young people who want to make a career in the film industry?
They have to study the trade in school. Accountants, Lawyers, even football players study their trade, how much more filmmaking that is a complicated and competitive. Secondly, I will say believe in yourself when you start making movies and not what jealous tongues say about you.
AC: Thank you, Mr. Simon. We look forward to having you again.
Simon: Our doors are always open for you. Thank you too.
Here is the trailer of Simon’s first and just released movie, “Will You Forgive Her?”