Very Unofficial Remake of Purple Rain In the Sahara Desert Of Niger

Akounak Teggdalit Taha Tazouhai Trailer from plastic shaman on Vimeo.

Via Metal Postcard Records... "A little bit off topic for us - but we do love Chris of Sahel Sounds and what he does - and this looks like an amazing project…..

Chris writes: I'm writing to let you know about the new Kickstarter fundraiser I just launched of a Very Unofficial remake of Purple Rain in the Sahara desert of Niger:

A few years back, a friend and I were joking about the idea of adapting films to the Sahara. We thought that Prince's 1984 film Purple Rain would provide excellent material for a remake. The film itself is highly stylized and written for the artist. Some of the writing is kitsch and riddled with clichés. But the idea at the core - a fictional film very loosely based around the life and struggle of a musician - seemed the perfect model for an adaptation.

Last year, I began working with Mdou Moctar (the autotuned star of the Music From Saharan Cellphones compilations) and Jerome Fino of the French collective L'improbable to make this film a reality. Over three weeks in Niger, we started shooting, found a cast and crew, and most importantly, began rewriting the story from the perspective and experiences of Mdou and his fellow musicians.

Next month, we're headed back to Niger to complete shooting what we've titled Akounak Tedalat Taha Tazoughai(English: "Rain the Color of Blue with a little Red in it"). The story follows Mdou Moctar, a musician who has just moved to Agadez, and his struggle to become a star in the winner takes all scene of Tuareg guitar music. The movie is full of musical performance, and features a number of Agadez's star musicians. There's a short trailer available here.

Akounak will have the honor of being the first ever movie shot in the Tuareg language (specifically, a mixture of dialects from Aïr and Azawagh). But it will also be one of the few fiction films concerned with the Tuareg music subculture.

While Tuareg guitar has been explored somewhat exhaustively in documentary features, most of these films have focused on the political origins of the folk music - not how it thrives today. Like my friend Drew Wilson says, this film is not about Kalashnikovs but "cellphones, motorcycles, and guitars."

The Kickstarter campaign features a bunch of rewards, including DVDs, vinyl records, limited edition cassettes, and tickets to free screenings."