I-TECH Namibia Wraps up Shooting for HIV Educational Film "Remember Eliphas 3"

May 22, 2009 - The shouts of soldiers loading flood-relief supplies into the belly of a Namibian Defence Force helicopter last week were punctuated by a command not usually heard in the armed forces. "Action!" came the call from video director Ernst Steynberg and then, "Cut!" This mission was not, in fact, to provide flood relief, but rather to film the opening scene in "Remember Eliphas 3," a short movie about an HIV-infected soldier in the Namibian army.

Building on the success of two prior "Remember Eliphas" HIV-related educational films, the third installment features Eliphas becoming a peer educator at his army base—where he tries to convince his friend Matthias to get tested for HIV—and coping with family issues at home. Lead actor Banana Shekupe reprises his role as Eliphas, and secondary roles and extras were played entirely by Namibian soldiers.

An evening shoot in the Katatura neighborhood of Windhoek, Namibia.

I-TECH Namibia completed on-location video production for the project this week, wrapping up a 12-day shoot that brought together crew members from Namibia and South Africa to film at three locations in Namibia. The film is now moving into postproduction there, including editing and addition of an original music score for the soundtrack. Produced collaboratively by the United States Department of Defense and the Namibian Defence Force, "Remember Eliphas 3" will be released on DVD and distributed in late August.

For more information about this project, contact:
Tom Furtwangler
Director of Communications, I-TECH
tomfurt@u.washington.edu

Shooting a bar scene with Namibian soldiers as extras.