Nyau Cinema Rules

Samson Kambalu’s Nyau Cinema Rules

1. Nyau film must be conceived as a clip no longer than a minute.

2. Performance should be spontaneous and site/specific to found architecture, landscape, or object.

3. There must always be a conversation between performance and the medium of film.

5. Costume must be from everyday life.

6. Acting must be subtle but otherworldly, transgressive, and playful.

7. Editing must be limited to the aesthetics of primitive film and silent cinema.

8. Audio must be used sparingly, otherwise it must be performed live at film screenings.

9. Screening of a Nyau film must be in specially designed cinema booths or improvised cinema installations that complement the spirit of the films.

10. Nyau cinema must encourage active participation from audience.

^{Born in 1975 in Malawi, Samson Kambalu lives and works in London. He has a BA in Fine Art and Ethnomusicology from University of Malawi (1999), an MA in Fine Art from Nottingham Trent University (2003), and a PhD from Chelsea College of Art and Design (2015). His first book The Jive Talker, or How to Get a British Passport (Jonathan Cape, 2008 / Unionsverlag, 2010) was voted favourite of National Book Tokens’ ‘Global Reads’ (2010). He was included in the Liverpool Biennial (2016), Dak’art, Senegal (2016), and the 56th Venice Biennial (2015).}