The Planters Plantation is the International Feature submission for Cameroon this year. The film is about a plantation in the South West region of Cameroon called Isambile. It takes place in 1961 just as the country has gained independence from the United Kingdom.
The film begins with Timothy Asong and all his staff and workers celebrating their freedom. Mr. Asong is now the rightful owner of the plantation and he’s loved and respected by everyone who works for him. He’s been the provider and leader for all of his employees for decades. And now with their new independence he can have more leeway with how the plantation is run.
Unfortunately, a few weeks later Timothy passes away unexpectedly leaving his wife and daughter, Enanga, to mourn his loss and to now take care of the plantation on their own. But, without their knowledge, Timothy signed a contract back in 1960, giving his brother, Mr. Planter, sole ownership of the property.
This begins a difficult and hard fought battle between the Asong family and the Planter family. The Asong family wants to keep things running the way its always been run, while the Planter family wants to include the government into the business.
Secrets are then revealed, and new information and contracts will be found as the battle for the plantation reaches its boiling point.
Director Eystein Young Dingha has created a fascinating take on neocolonialism in Cameroon during the 1960s. The government’s aim at that time was to block the growth of the country by controlling the plantations and retaining them as sources of cheap raw materials and thus cheap labour as well. The Planters Plantation is an example how the fighting between the Asong and Planter families are manipulated by authorities higher then them to control lands that should be controlled by the families who are the rightful owners.