Compelling Line-Up of Films for Encounters South African International Documentary Festival

The 26th Encounters South African International Documentary Festival, which takes place in Cape Town and Johannesburg from 20 to 30 June, features a compelling line-up of films from around the globe that promise to spark debate, stimulate conversations, and shed new light on controversial subject matter.

From the Congo to Kenya, USA and Europe, Lebanon to Japan with gripping tales of resilience to thought-provoking explorations of contemporary issues, these films reveal a rich tapestry of global storytelling and celebrate the power of documentary cinema to inspire, inform, and ignite change.

Soundtrack to a Coup d'État

The multiple award-winning Soundtrack to a Coup d'État, is a riveting documentary that delves into the complex relationship between music and political upheaval. Directed by Johan Grimonprez (Belgium/France/The Netherlands) jazz and politics are intertwined in this depiction of murky international interference in decolonisation and the Cold War.  It’s 1960 and against the background of jazz sounds of Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, and Nina Simone, a wave of decolonisation movements tear through Africa, and the struggle for civil rights marches on in the USA. Beat by beat, Grimonprez traces Patrice Lumumba’s rise to become Congo’s first democratically elected prime minister—and the meddling forces that conspired his assassination. Deeply researched, the film interweaves archival records, home movies, unheard speeches by Lumumba, and memoirs by Congolese activists and writers with the story of the Black jazz legends who defined the era. Pulsating with the energy of the period, this masterpiece of documentary filmmaking is a chilling indictment of the colonial impact on Africa. 

Moving to East Africa and keeping with the thread of international interference, the Kenyan film Our Land, Our Freedom directed by Zippy Kimundu, is a highly charged conversation about stolen land that follows a woman’s attempt to reclaim ancestral land. What begins as a search for her father’s remains soon turns into a tense national issue surrounding British colonialism, freedom fighters, and an unjust reality. It is pure grit, determination, and a genuine love for her people that keeps her going, pushing her to provide for those who did so much for her country yet received so little reward for their sacrifice. 

Black Box Diaries 

Of particular interest are two fascinating films from Japan: In a raw, riveting, and singular work, playing like a procedural thriller for social media, Black Box Diaries (Japan/USA/UK) directed by journalist Shiori Itō bravely investigates a case of sexual violence perpetrated against her—to bring her powerful, politically connected assailant to justice. As she pieces together evidence, she exposes the paralyzing roots of patriarchy in Japan. Her brave story is a reminder of how far the world still has to go in believing women, and the trauma of survivors. Her quest results in a landmark case in Japan, exposing the country's outdated judicial and societal systems. The film won the Human Rights Award at CPH:DOX in Denmark.

Johatsu – Into Thin Air

Then the beautifully photographed film - Johatsu – Into Thin Air directed by Andreas Hartmann and Arata Mori explores the phenomenon of people who disappear known as Johatsu or “the evaporated” in Japan where around 80,000 people vanish every year. Most are found or return home but thousands simply disappear. We meet people who have chosen to do this and those looking for them, as well as the people who help them so they can reset their lives in places where no one knows them. Johatsu provides an intimate window into the lives of those who have decided, for one desperate reason or another, that they need to start anew.

Hollywoodgate

In true “eyes-on-the-ground” and breathtakingly edgy filmmaking, Egyptian director Ibrahim Nash'at scores a major coup in Hollywoodgate (Germany/USA) when he is granted permission to document the transition of Afghanistan to Taliban rule after the US withdrawal in 2021. The Taliban took over one of the USA’s CIA bases with infrastructure of containers bearing the name "Hollywood Gate" filled with weapons enabling them to equip a new combat unit. Over a year, Nash'at follows the development of this unit and provides an authentic inside glimpse into the Taliban's rapid rise to power. 

Encounter screens “two must see” films that audiences might have missed:

Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano

Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano, directed by Cyril Aris (Germany/Lebanon), is a heartwarming and lucid documentary. After a massive explosion devastated the port in Beirut in August 2020, a determined crew of filmmakers continued their project in an effort of resistance. Amidst the city's destruction and an economic crisis during COVID-19, this family of artists finds meaning and purpose through the transformative power of cinema.

The Mother of All Lies

The Mother of All Lies (Morocco/Egypt) is a poetic, captivating, and cathartic exploration of the lies and memories of director Asmae El Moudir’s family, surrounding the Casablanca Bread Riots of 1981. The period of repression known in Morocco as the “Years of Lead” is hardly discussed. Narratives of trauma, loss, and love are recovered here through exquisite re-enactments played by handmade figurines, sculpted by El Moudir’s father and dressed by her mother, placed in a scale model of her neighbourhood.

Cinemas that will screen the 2024 Encounters’ line-up:

In Cape Town - Ster-Kinekor V&A Waterfront, The Labia Theatre

In Johannesburg - The Zone @ Rosebank, The Bioscope Independent Cinema 

For more information go to: https://encounters.co.za/

Encounters is Supported and Funded by: 

The City of Cape Town, Bertha Foundation, National Film and Video Foundation of South Africa, the University of Cape Town and the Centre for Film and Media Studies, Mail and Guardian (Media Partner), Al Jazeera Documentary, UWC The Centre for Humanities Research, Known Associates, Refinery, Institute Francais, Goethe-Institut of South Africa, Heinrich Böll Stiftung, Heineken Beverages, DOK.fest Munich, German Films, Documentary Filmmakers Association, South African Guild of Editors, anima, Pressure Cooker Studio.

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Joy Sapieka - Joy Sapieka & Associates 

joyls@mweb.co.za 

joysapieka0@gmail.com 

Sharlene Versfeld 

sharlene@versfeld.co.za 

Hard-hitting SA documentary MOTHER CITY to open Encounters 2024

Encounters South African International Documentary Festival renowned for its commitment to showcasing diverse voices, insightful perspectives, and compelling narratives has announced the South African film Mother City directed by Miki Redelinghuys and Pearlie Joubert as the opening film in a line-up of local, African, and international films that are making waves or garnered critical acclaim at festivals worldwide. The fest takes place at venues in Cape Town and Johannesburg from 20 to 30 June 2024.

Sparking transformation, the beautifully observed film, Mother City is a deeply human and often heart-breaking look at the politics of urbanism. The filmmakers follow activists of the Reclaim the City movement over six years as they make Cape Town’s abandoned spaces their home, and use it as a base from which to lobby for the needs of the working class.

In a classic David versus Goliath battle between passionate activists and politics and property power, Nkosikhona (Face) Swartbooi and his peers take to the streets, the courts, the fancy dinner functions, parliament and the homes of the people in power to get their voices heard. They travel to Barcelona to meet the Mayor who has successfully turned Barcelona’s housing crisis around, searching for solutions to the ever-growing housing crisis in Cape Town.

The film offers an opportunity to walk in the shoes of the oppressed and dispossessed, to understand the real struggle for people needing homes closer to work, education, and recreation and are not simply banished to the outskirts of urban areas. It grapples with the rights for access, and fairness to be able to actively participate in an urban economy. It lays bare the struggles of people who are often vilified and “othered” for trying to rightfully claim a space to live with their families. 

“Mother City has been selected as our opening film, as it represents the heart of what documentary film-making is about,” says Festival Director Mandisa Zitha. “Dedicated, tenacious, and vociferous in its approach to following a group of activists over a long period, to capture their challenges and frustrations, and indeed their successes. It speaks to the power of film in exposing the arduous journey so many in this world have to embark on to effect change. It is also a universally powerful story of the triumph of the collective.” 

“I have always thought of Mother City as a love letter to the city I call home and love very deeply,” explains Miki Redelinghuys (Plexis Films) documentary filmmaker and impact producer. “But love can also be painful in as much as it is beautiful. This film is an expression of many diverse lives observed through our lens and we hope our audience leaves inspired with a vision for building a shared democratic South Africa. We are extremely grateful that we have been able to share this story.”

Pearlie Joubert, acclaimed investigative journalist who’s spent years as a news producer for ITV, Sky News and the BBC adds, "When Miki and I started filming Mother City, we dreamt that our film would shift permanently, the way one million visitors to Cape Town see this city and her policies. Now so many years later, we have only witnessed how politicians and property developers have formed and cemented an impenetrable wall keeping the poor out and away. Mother City is our ode to how “gatvol” we are of this status quo."

Mother City is produced by Kethiwe Ngcobo, Pearlie Joubert, and Miki Redelinghuys and will have its World Premiere at the Sheffield Doc Fest in the UK in June before its African premiere at Encounters on 20 June.

The following cinemas will be screening the 2024 Encounters’ line-up:

In Cape Town - Ster-Kinekor V&A Waterfront, The Labia Theatre

In Johannesburg - Ster-Kinekor Rosebank Nouveau, The Bioscope Independent Cinema 

Encounters is Supported and Funded by: City of Cape Town, Bertha Foundation, National Film and Video Foundation of South Africa,  University of Cape Town and the Centre for Film and Media Studies, Mail and Guardian(Media Partner), Al Jazeera Documentary, Known Associates, Refinery, Goethe-Institut, Heinrich Böll Stiftung, Heineken Beverages,  Documentary Filmmakers Association, German Films, South African Guild of Editors, anima, Pressure Cooker Studio

For more information go to: https://encounters.co.za/

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Generation Africa offers films by some of Africa’s finest film talent at Encounters 2022

Four powerful documentary films in The Generation Africa project, produced by Cape Town-based production company STEPS, are being screened at the Encounters South Africa International Documentary Film Festival which runs until 3 July at venues in Cape Town and Johannesburg.

The films reflect personal experiences and connected narratives of Africans living on the continent and in the Diaspora, focussing on what “home”, belonging and migration mean. 

No Simple Way Home - Akoul de Mabior

 Winner of the 2021 DOK.horizonte prize at DOK.fest München 2022, No Simple Way Home (Kenya / South Africa) directed by Akuol de Mabior, is a personal film in which de Mabior pays tribute to her mother, Rebecca Nyandeng de Mabior, who became one of the five vice presidents of South Sudan’s so-called unity government in 2020. Her father, Dr John Garang de Mabior, was a revolutionary leader whose movement led to the foundation of South Sudan.

No U Turn

 The award-winning film, No U Turn (Nigeria / France / Germany / South Africa) directed by Nigerian film-maker Ike Nnaebue, received a special mention at this year’s Berlinale International Film Festival. Nnaebue retraces his steps of a journey he made almost 30 years ago, to flee Africa. He seeks to discover what motivates people today to expose themselves to the dangers of a passage into an uncertain future and encounters some interesting people and stories along the way.

Transactions

 Migrants and money feature as a theme in Zimbabwean director Rumbi Katedza’s  Transactions (Zimbabwe / South Africa) in which she explores the phenomenon which saw the Diaspora population transact well above $1 billion in 2021 providing relief for families in need of basics, with the bulk of these made through mobile phones. This is a sobering film the filmmaker personalizes these numbers by displaying the humanity and complexities as well as how family dynamics are determined by remittances behind these figures.

African Moot

 Shameela Seedat’s (whose first film Whispering Truth to Power was critically acclaimed) African Moot (SA) delves into the human rights and migration law, as aspiring lawyers gather for the annual African Human Rights Moot Court Competition. For one week in Gaborone, Botswana, a group of young lawyers assemble for the competition representing the top law schools from their respective nations as they debate a new issue each year. The focus is on the rights of refugees. Developing arguments that will be judged by practicing lawyers, the next generation of lawyers discovers what policy should be like in the African context, and where advancements can be made across the region.

 “These films focus on the narratives and lived experiences of Africans, told by a generation of filmmakers that reflect the aspirations, challenges, and dreams of African youth,” says Don Edkins, executive producer for the project. “They are honest, raw, insightful narratives that have to be told to change the narrative for the continent. They present us with a mirror of ourselves and our lives but importantly a window for the world, and asks hard-hitting questions from our perspectives about the future of Africa and the world.”

 For more information on Encounters screenings go to encounters.co.za and for Generation Africa go to https://steps.co.za/projects/generation-africa/

Generation Africa is supported by DW Akademie and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, with the financial support of Robert Bosch Stiftung and Bertha Foundation.

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Gripping Line-Up of African and South African Doccies for Encounters

 GRIPPING LINE-UP OF AFRICAN AND SOUTH AFRICAN DOCCIES FOR ENCOUNTERS

Documentaries centred around belonging and home, where roots formerly were and where they are now, of relationship - money- and life’s transactions, of defiance, of sacrifices, found love and success feature in a gripping selection of African and South African documentaries for the 24th Encounters South African International Documentary Festival, which takes place in cinemas in Cape Town and Johannesburg from 23 June to 3 July 2022.

Looking for roots, winner of the 2021 DOK.horizonte prize at DOK.fest München 2022, No Simple Way Home (Kenya/South Africa) directed by Akuol de Mabior, is a personal film in which de Mabior pays tribute to her parents and her home country – South Sudan. Her father, John Garang de Mabior, was a revolutionary leader whose movement led to the foundation of South Sudan, and her mother, Rebecca Nyandeng de Mabior, became one of the five vice presidents of the country's so-called unity government in 2020.

In No U-Turn, celebrated Nigerian filmmaker Ike Nnaebue retraces his steps of a journey he made almost 30 years ago, to flee Africa, to find out what motivates people today to expose themselves to the dangers of a passage into an uncertain future. Described by Anietie Ewang, Researcher, Africa Division, Human Rights Watch as “a strong documentary that provides answers to questions around the motivations for migrating and experiences on the journey.”

Zimbabwean director Rumbi Katedza explores the phenomenon which saw the Diaspora population transact well above $1 billion in 2021 providing a huge boost to the local economy, with the bulk of these made through mobile phones. In Transactions, a delightful yet sobering film, the filmmaker personalises these numbers by displaying the humanity and complexities behind official figures. The film follows a Zimbabwean family with members scattered across the globe.

Among Us Women (Ethiopia/Germany) directed by Sarah Noa Bozenhardt and Daniel Abate Tilabun  holds a light to health centre staff in rural Ethiopia who are fighting maternal mortality. Appealing to women to give birth in the clinic they are battling against the odds, with traditional reservations and practical obstacles.

Joseph Dégramon Ndjom’s The Prison Promise (Cameroon/France) follows a couple who fell in love in prison, and after their release reunited with one of their family’s in Cameroon’s rural countryside to try to find their way back into society. The film offers a portrait of love and community as the couple navigate their reintegration into normal society, highlighting the role of the family and of community in rehabilitating people who have had challenges with the law.

The Double Futures of Athlone (SA) is a delightful film by Premesh Lalu that provides an intimate snapshot of a bygone era that continues to live in the hearts and imaginations of many of Athlone’s residents. At the film’s centre is the Kismet theatre, which once acted as both the local bioscope and as a performance venue for the rich musical talent of the time. A delicate account of history, in the film’s own words, “what’s left of the memory of the future”.

In  current news, as debate rages around the relevance of the Afrikaans Taal Monument, Gideon Breytenbach’s The Voice Behind The Wall (SA) comes as an interesting exploration of the politics of the language for the people who speak it. The Voice Behind The Wall is a conscientious examination of the Afrikaans music industry and the racial imbalances that still persist almost 30 years since the abolishment of Apartheid. Poet and rapper, Churchil Naudé, stands as a surrogate for a whole community of ignored artists, whose voices are now oppressed by the very same media industry that was guilty of using its powerful platform to further the white cause during apartheid. These voices, a whole community of voices behind the wall.

The Radical (SA), directed by Richard Gregory, is an intimate portrait of the world's first openly gay imam - Muhsin Hendricks - who was a fashion designer who determined that Islam could be interpreted more compassionately, and became the religious leader at the centre of the global queer Muslim movement. Despite death threats and opposition, he established a radically inclusive mosque in Cape Town. Now, he fights for the rights of LGBTQI+ Muslims in what he calls a “care-frontational” manner in the African countries where they are outlawed.

South African director Riaan Hendricks’ Tear Salted Sea weaves together accounts of sailors operating on the South African coastline to reveal how they relate to the sea as a community of people. This captivating and heartfelt account features interviews with survivors of a storm in which some died, to reveal how the sea has shaped their paths 10 years after its tragic events.

Nominated for the IDFA Award for Best First Feature in 2021, One Take Grace is an engagingly idiosyncratic film that introduces us to 58-year-old Black South African woman who has worked as a domestic worker and decides in her 40s that she would like to become an actress. Shot over 10 years by multidisciplinary artist and director Lindiwe Matshikiza and collaborators, the result is an immersive adventure in surrealism, although strongly linked to the lived reality of the many South Africans who work in other people’s houses at the expense of their own family life.

Lobola, A Bride's True Price? (SA) follows the journey of eSwatini filmmaker Sihle Hlophe who, faced with the impending approach of her marriage, questions the notion of lobola in the face of her feminist beliefs and her anti-patriarchal stance. Will she turn her back on Lobola or will she embrace it? 

Manche Masemola, a Pedi girl died for her Christian beliefs at the age of 15 in Sekhukhuneland. Having become widely popular after her death, she is depicted in a statue above Westminster Abbey, London’s Great West Door. In this intriguing documentary Manche, The African Martyr, Meggan Raubenheimer and Manche descendant Letebele Masemola examine the events surrounding her death through interviews with the people who were familiar with the story and those from her village. Masemola, who drives the narrative, reflects on this bold story as a journey to her ancestral homeland to rediscover her identity in relation to her cultural beliefs.

The following cinemas will be screening the 2022 Encounters’ line-up: In Cape Town - The Labia, The Bertha Movie House Isivivana Centre Khayelitsha, Bertha House Mowbray. In Johannesburg-CineCentre Killarney and The Independent Bioscope.

For further information go to the Encounters website www.encounters.co.za;  follow on social media or contact Joy Sapieka & Associates on +27(0)73 2125492 joysapieka0@gmail.com / Joyls@mweb.co.za

Film - Deliver Me - poetic meditation on the migration of a Malawian man for Encounters Film Fest

Deliver Me screening at Encounters Documentary Film Festival

Paper Cranes Collective and Ctrl Alt Shift are proud to announce that their first collaboration, Deliver Me, has been selected to screen at this year’s Encounters South African International Documentary Film Festival where it will have its world premiere.  Directed by Jannous Aukema (Until The Silence Comes and The Jaguars Daughter), the film was conceived, filmed, and edited during South Africa’s LockDown level 4. Made for under R20,000 and a four-man crew, the project is a unique take on the documentary storytelling format.  

“We are honoured and very pleased to have our project Deliver Me, screen at such a prestigious festival such as Encounters, a festival that plays such a key role not only in the continental festival calendar but also for documentaries in our local industry,” said Mitchell Harper, Ctrl Alt Shift producer of the film. “The film’s collaborative nature, along with its unusual approach to story-telling and financing will hopefully readjust many to how we approach not only filmmaking but help shift our understanding of what trials many go through in a bid to survive everyday life.” 

Co-produced by companies in Durban and Cape Town, Deliver Me is a 25-minute film, a poetic meditation on the migration of a Malawian man, who has come to South Africa to find a future for himself and his family. We follow Paul Mwasi through the evening streets, restaurants, and suburbs he navigates as an Uber delivery bike rider, during the coronavirus hard lockdown in Cape Town, South Africa. We come to see that he is a man driven by love for his family, whom he remains in contact with through his cellphone, his digital lifeline to those he has left behind. His work and the conditions he toils in are solitary. In many ways, Paulʼs journey as witnessed in the film is a signifier not only of the struggles of isolation in an unknown place but more generally of the lonesome months of a world pandemic.  

The film will be available to view free at Encounters on their digital platform from 10-20 June, and is available on the African continent throughout the festival period as part of their 24/7 section. 

To find out how to watch Deliver Me, go  to Encounters South African International Documentary Film Festival, https://encounters.co.za/film/deliver-me/

You can see the teaser of the film through this link: https://vimeo.com/558692412

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First Encounters' Line-up Announced for Festival 20 – 30 August

First Encounters' Line-up Announced for Festival 20 – 30 August 

The new multi-platform Encounters International South African Documentary Festival is bringing you some of the globe’s greatest award-winning documentaries, available virtually.

Long-awaited political documentaries and an eye-opening look into the world of one of the most mysterious artists are just a few of the exciting releases due to open Encounters 2020. War documentaries, intimate portraits of great artists, and all-new premieres from Africa and South Africa are also among the first films announced for the all-new, online-platform edition of the festival. 

The Encounters 2020 festival premieres with the first South African screening of the highly-anticipated political documentary Influence — a profile of ‘morally slippery British reputation manager’ Lord Timothy Bell of British PR Firm Bell Pottinger. The powerful film, directed by South African investigative journalists and filmmakers Richard Poplak and Diana Neille, has been causing a stir at documentary festivals around the world. More great political documentaries include The Kingmaker by director Lauren Greenfield which unveils the shady political career of the notorious Imelda Marcos, the former Philippines first lady who, together with her husband, reigned over the country with an iron fist while pillaging its wealth. 

Highly-anticipated international releases will also take audiences on a journey around the world’s best documentaries. Banksy Most Wanted by directors Seamus Haley and Laurent Richard tells the story of the world’s most famous graffiti artist, beginning with the now-notorious Sotheby’s auction in which Banksy’s most iconic work, Girl with a Balloon, was instantly shredded by a mechanism in its frame just seconds after the auction hammer fell. Providing an account of the artist’s rise to fame, while documenting the various forensic investigations that have attempted to solve the mystery of Banksy’s true identity, the film is an art documentary at its most engaging 

In the Oscar nominated and BAFTA-winning For Sama (UK/Syria), journalist Waad al-Kateab & filmmaker Edward Watts give a powerful account of the war in Syria and the systematic destruction of Aleppo from a woman’s perspective. Gaza by directors Garry Keane & Andrew McConnel also focuses on  the region to document the richness of the culture that exists amidst that violence. And in Advocate by Rachel Leah Jones & Philippe Bellaïche the film looks at the inspiring life of Jewish-Israeli advocate Lea Tsemel, who has worked tirelessly for nearly 50 years defending Palestinians against charges laid by the Israeli state. 

Some of the world’s greatest artists and literary figures are being celebrated at Encounters 2020. Toni Morrison: The Pieces I am by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders explores one of the most important writers in modernity with a series of in-depth interviews. Commentary from the likes of Angela Davis, Oprah Winfrey, Fran Lebowitz, Hilton Als and others brings a different dimension to the film. Cunningham by Alla Kovgan looks at the work of avant-garde dancer Merce Cunningham by blending recreations of Cunningham’s landmark works with rich archival footage garnered from over three decades.    

Viewers can look forward to a diverse selection of some of Africa’s best films. In the Days of Cannibalism director Teboho Edkins reveals the expanding Chinese presence in poverty-stricken rural Lesotho. Kenyan director Sam Soko explores corruption in Africa in Softie, which premiered at Sundance, and illustrates the extent of political interference in Nairobi through the eyes of Boniface Mwangi — who is Kenya’s top photojournalist, anti-corruption campaigner and human rights activist.

Mother to Mother by Sara CF de Gouveia beautifully dramatises the novel of the same name written by Sindiwe Magona about the murder of Amy Biehl. Featuring South African singer, actress and playwright Thembi Mtshali, Mother to Mother is engaging, thought-provoking and deftly constructed cinema. The highly relevant Finding Sally tells the incredible story of a 23-year-old woman from an upper class family who became a communist rebel in the 60’s with the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Party in a time when Ethiopia was on the brink of  revolution

Young director Pule Phokompe profiles political activist, lawyer, judge, teacher, University of Fort Hare chancellor, Desmond Tutu Peace Trust chairperson and Barloworld’s first black chairperson Dumisa Ntsebeza in The Art of Being Human. Ramadan Suleman in By All means Necessary explores the generally forgotten role of Algeria in the African revolution and celebrates African unity with rich archive material and compelling interviews. 

But these are just a small selection of the films coming to Encounters 2020 — Africa’s leading documentary festival. For the 22nd year of the beloved documentary festival, Encounters will be making almost all films on the program free-of-charge to view on virtual platforms from 20 -30 August.

But to stay up-to-date with the exciting developments happening at Encounters 2020, and get the program as soon as its released, head to encounters.co.za

Share :

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/EncountersDocFest/

Twitter handle:  @EncountersDoc  

Instagram handle:  @encountersdoc

The 22nd Encounters South African International Documentary Festival is funded by The National Film and Video Foundation, Kaya FM, Gauteng Film Commission, WESGRO, Embassy of Switzerland in South Africa, Consulate General of Switzerland in Cape Town, Swiss Films, IFAS - The French Institute of South Africa. Festival partners are: DOK.fest Munich, Refinery, Documentary Filmmakers Association, South African Guild of Editors, UCT Centre for Film & Media Studies

Watch and embed the trailers:

 Influence https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czSZ9b1yipI

Banksy Most Wanted  https://cineuropa.org/en/video/389420/

The King Maker https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Udbf4xQwWag

Days of Cannibalism https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phX22xcEXlU

Finding Sally https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4U1BsYVOiZ4

Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8sUwXTWb4M

Media Enquiries

 Joy Sapieka

Publicist 

joyl@mweb.co.za

Buddha in Africa - Award-winning documentary for Cape Town

Media Release

Award-winning documentary for Cape Town

The award-winning documentary, Buddha in Africa, directed by KwaZulu-Natal filmmaker Nicole Schafer, which scooped the Best SA Documentary at the Durban International Film Festival in July, and won an Audience Choice Award at Encounters in June this year, is coming to Cape Town in August. It will be screened at the Silwerskermfees, the Labia Theatre, Tshisimani Centre for Activist Education in Mowbray and Isivivana Centre in Khayelitsha.

Buddha in Africa follows Enock Alu, a Malawian teenager growing up in a Chinese Buddhist orphanage, who feels torn between his African roots and Chinese upbringing. Set against China's expanding influence on the continent, Buddha in Africa provides a unique insight into the forces of cultural soft power on the identity and imagination of an African boy and his school friends growing up between two cultures.

Buddha in Africa is an international co-production with Momento Films in Sweden, has the Paris based sales company CAT and Docs representing the film internationally and AfriDocs as its African broadcast partner.

The film’s latest Best SA Documentary Award automatically qualifies it for a consideration for an Oscar nomination, as the DIFF is one of the qualifying festivals for the Academy of Motion Picture, Arts and Sciences.

The Silwerskerm screening takes place at the Theatre on the Bay on Friday 23 August at 12:15.   Full day pass: R175.00

https://online.computicket.com/web/event/kyknet_silwerskermfees/1326589081/624439394

The Labia Theatre screening takes place on Sunday 25 August at 2:30 pm. The filmmaker will be in attendance for a Q&A after the event.  Tickets R60.00. Limited Seats. Book online: http://webtickets.co.za/event.aspx?itemid=1493520470  

The Documentary Filmmakers Association will screen the film at its docLOVE event at the Tshisimani Centre for Activist Education, in Mowbray on Thursday 29 August at 6pm. Those interested in documentaries as well as learning more about the DFA are encouraged attend. Free entrance. Tshisimani Centre for Activist Education, 67-69 Main Road, Mowbray. Free entrance. Contact: mikiinthecity@gmail.com or theresa@steps.co.za

The Documentary Filmmakers Association will present another DocLOVE event at the Bertha Movie House at Isivivana Centre on Wednesday 4 September at 6pm. Free entrance. 8 Mzala Street, Khayelitsha  Website: https://isivivanacentre.org.za Facebook: Bertha Movie House

 NOTE: The film will also screen at the HILTON ARTS FESTIVAL (13 - 15 September 2019) in KwaZulu-Natal.

Trailer Link Facebook:

https://facebook.com/buddhainafrica/videos/2409166019303775

For more information like and follow the film on Facebook: buddhainafrica      

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Inspiring Sudanese documentary gives a human face to al-Bashir's victims - at the DIFF

Inspiring Sudanese documentary gives a human face to al-Bashir's victims - at the DIFF 

One of the most uplifting films at this year’s Durban International Film Festival is also an indictment of Sudan’s current president, Omar al-Bashir.

Beats of The Antonov, directed by Hajooj Kuka gives a human face to the victims of al-Bashir, who was allowed to leave South Africa last month, flouting a court order and international convention.

The documentary tells the story of the people of the Blue Nile and Nuba Mountains in Sudan, who fought with the South for independence but now remain trapped in a civil war in the North.

The Antonov in the title refers to the planes that drop bombs on the civilian population there. As Nuba Reports wrote in The Daily Maverick just after al-Bashir’s escape, “As South Africa dissects the implications of President Omar al-Bashir’s visit, and his illegal departure, it’s worth remembering that although the International Criminal Court wants him for crimes committed years ago, the Sudanese president is still in power – and he’s still dropping cluster bombs on civilians.”

The documentary depicts al-Bashir not just as the kind of leader who drops bombs on unarmed civilians, but also as a racist, dividing his country along racial and ethnic lines, waging war “against all the African elements in Sudan.” As CityPress wrote in their review, al-Bashir’s "quest for a purely Arab state leaves the other 156 cultural African groups unaccounted for. Bashir calls these people 'black sacks' and vows to wipe them out.” 

According to The Mail and Guardian, the ANC described the decision to aide al-Bashir’s escape as “choosing African unity over the law.” But after watching the film, you’ll be left asking whether a stand for African unity shouldn’t rather be a stand with the people of the Blue Nile and Nuba Mountains, not with those trying to Arabicize them. The documentary is not anti-Islamic; it just argues that you can be Muslim without needing to be culturally Arabic, that you can embrace being an African Muslim rather than forcing everyone to be an Arabic one. 

This may all sound like unlikely source material for the most uplifting film at the Durban International Film Festival, but Beats of the Antonov is a celebration of the human spirit and of the Sudanese people South African president Jacob Zuma failed to protect when he had the chance. These are people who laugh after surviving an air-raid, who dance all-night to stay awake while on sentry duty; this is a place where music is as integral a part of society as water, food and air, a place where there is no separation between the musicians and their audience. 

As refugee Insaf Rawad says in the film, “Culture protects us. If people don’t release their pain, they will become miserable, without these parties to lift their spirits. When people are anxious and disturbed, dancing helps them get over it.”

Similarly, ethnomusicologist Sarah Mohamed says, "Truly there is an alternative Sudan, other than the fake one presented to us in the capital Khartoum. There is a happy smiling Sudan that loves life.”

Beats of the Antonov has charmed audiences around the world, even winning The People’s Choice Documentary Award at The Toronto International Film Festival and four other international awards. Sudanese filmmaker hajooj kuka directed and shot the documentary over two years, at immense personal risk. He also produced alongside South African Steven Markovitz, as a coproduction between Sudanese production company Refugee Club and South African company Big World Cinema. South African Khalid Shamis edited the documentary with Hajooj Kuka in Cape Town. 

“I urge all South Africans to see this film,” says Steven. “This film turns the notion of Africa as a continent of victims on its head and shows the incredible resilience of Sudanese people at a time of great adversity. They deserve our support ’’

Hajooj Kuka will be attending the Durban International Film Festival, where Beats of the Antonov is in competition. The documentary premieres on Saturday, 18 July 2015 at 6pm at Suncoast. 

Watch and embed the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fi3ronTd3xg. 

What people are saying: 

"I was quite wrong about where Beats of the Antonov would take me… Despite its vicious political plot, Beats of the Antonov is a story of triumph. The very thing that the dominant regime wishes to stamp out – black African identity – is what saves these people from complete desolation. By gathering to make music in local languages, and pass on these cultural practices to a new generation, they sing their identity into being: a defeat of the Bashir project.” Binwe Adebayo, CityPress

"Every now and then, it seems as if there is nothing new out there. Everything seems derivative, repetitive or just plain bland. As a filmmaker, I sometimes go through moments of extreme lack of inspiration; and even question my choice of career. And then an unexpected spark happens to light the way. Beats of the Antonov… is such a spark… Kuka paints a beautiful picture of music, war and identity in the Blue Nile and Nuba regions, and the film is unlike anything I have ever seen… Beats of the Antonov and its infectious music stayed with me for days after viewing it… With more films like this coming from African directors, we could be witnessing the start of a new canon of African film.” Dylan Valley, Africa Is A Country

‘’Beats of the Antonov is a true standout…’’ Variety

“Equal parts war-documentary and visual ethnomusicology project…  a nuanced portrayal of cultural identity, the trauma of civil war, and what it means to be Sudanese today.” OkayAfrica

"With agile camerawork that dances amongst the colourful scarves of mothers and girls, that huddles in lamp-lit tents and dives into trenches to escape a passing bomber, filmmaker and war reporter Hajooj Kuka weaves a thread where life daily teeters on a knife edge and, nonetheless, goes on.” Encounters programmer Jenna Bass

"Despite the loss and brutality that these people have faced, they remain joyful and are almost always singing. They have lost their homes, loved ones, and livelihoods and yet they remain singing and laughing because they are still alive and have survived another day.” Mia Pepler, CreativesJoint

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Eco-film about controversial titanium mining to co-premiere at Encounters International Documentary- and the Durban International Film Festivals

The Shore Break, an award-winning film that unpacks the dilemma faced by a rural community on South Africa’s Wild Coast as to whether to support or resist a proposed titanium mining project that could fundamentally change their lives forever, will have its South African co-premiere at the Encounters International Documentary Film Festival in June and at the Durban International Film Festival in July.

Directed by Ryley Grunenwald, The Shore Break was a selected project at the 2012 Durban FilmMart, the IDFA WorldView Summer School 2013, the Hot Docs Forum 2012 and the Hot Docs Dealmakers 2013. It is co-produced by two South African companies, Grunenwald’s Johannebsurg-based Marie-Vérité Films and Odette Geldenhuys’ Cape Town-based frank films. It was in competition at the recent International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), and was named the Best Feature Length Documentary at the 2015 International Environmental Film Festival (FIFE) in Paris.

In the Amadiba area, in the heart of the breathtakingly beautiful Wild Coast, the Pondo people have tended their traditional way of life for centuries. A proposed titanium mine and the government’s controversial plan to build a highway across this ancestral ground, has polarized the community with those that see it as the beginning of the destruction of a way of life, and others who see it as a beacon of economic hope for the region.

Nonhle Mbuthuma, a young local eco-tour guide, is a staunch supporter of her people and the endangered environment on which their livelihood and culture depends. She wants to develop eco-tourism in order to protect her community’s homes, farms, graves and traditional lifestyle. Her cousin Zamille “Madiba” Qunya, a local entrepreneur and self-proclaimed modernizer, is fully supportive of the proposed mining operations and highway construction. Tired of his community living in poverty, Madiba scurrilously courts private capital and questionable government officials. While the South African President deposes the pro-environment Pondo Royal Family, Nonhle rallies support with little more than dogged determination.

“South Africa’s Wild Coast is my favourite place in the world – it has a rugged, mysterious beauty, and our family has been visiting there for years. When I heard about the proposed mining and toll road through the area, I could only imagine the extent of the environmental destruction of this pristine area,” says Grunenwald. “I met Nonhle Mbuthuma, who is a leader in her community, on one of my trips there. When I found out her arch enemy in favour of the developments was her own cousin and that the South African Government had dethroned her environmentally-conscious King Mpondombini Sigcau, it felt like something out of Shakespeare. I had to make a film about it.”

“In the early stages of filming I was only aware of how the titanium mine and highway threatened whatever was in their pathway,” explains Grunenwald. “However spending time with Madiba definitely made me see things from a broader perspective. He pointed out things that I couldn’t deny: the Wild Coast’s dire need for more schools, hospitals and employment. He believed large-scale development is the only hope for change. On the other hand Nonhle wanted development that would last longer than the 25-year lifespan of the mine. She believed alternative development such as expansive eco-tourism could develop the area without their having to give up their land and livelihood. Throughout production I kept changing my mind as to who was more ‘right’ about the development of the Wild Coast. The complexity intrigued me and I wanted to allow the audience to see things from both sides.”

“It is very easy for urban middle class people to want to protect the environment when its preservation does not impair their own access to necessary facilities,” says Grunenwald. “However rural people should not have to give up their land and livelihood in order to access basic services and opportunities. I was struck by the amaMpondo's connection to their land and their determination to protect it for future generations no matter what the cost. They are willing to die for it. We hope The Shore Break will be seen by a wide audience - not only to entertain but to raise awareness of what's going on and to stimulate debate about the development of our most picturesque coastline.”

Co-producer Geldenhuys, a public interest and human rights lawyer, says “I am very interested in what is development? How is it defined? Who defines? By being structured around the drama of a family feud, The Shore Break manages to ask this question in a non-academic way, but in a manner that ordinary people can relate to.”

Exquisitely filmed with arresting cinematography, The Shore Break is edited by Kerryn Assaizky, with original traditional cross-over music by local musician Ntombe Thongo, and sand animation by award-winning animator Justine Puren-Calverley. The almost Kentridgesque animation links sections and propositions in the film, subtly providing context and silent commentary, creating opportunities for the audience to reflect and muse.

The Shore Break has been selected by Bertha BRITDOC Connect Fund to use the film for outreach. The film will have free screenings in the affected area, with decision makers as well as other communities facing similar development struggles. “We’re regularly partnering with more NGOs who want to use The Shore Break in their work around development, community engagement, and extractive industries, “ says Grunenwald.

The film has been made possible by the South African government’s DTI Film Rebate Scheme, a public sector initiative which is ensuring that South African films, including The Shore Break are reaching exhibition. Other funders include Ford Foundation, National Film and Video Foundation, Knowledge Network, Heinrich Böll Foundation, Gauteng Film Commission, Worldview, Alter Cine Foundation, and the Hot Docs Blue Ice Film Fund.

The film will screen at Encounters International Documentary Film Festival in Cape Town during 4 to 14 June 2015 and at the Durban International Film Festival which takes place from July 16 to 26, 2015. It will also screen at the Sydney International Film Festival during June 2015; and has already been screened at the Festival Millennium 2015, Belgium, and Hot Docs 2015 in Canada.

For more information go to www.theshorebreakmovie.com

Trailer: http://vimeo.com/102621491

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/theshorebreakmovie

Twitter: http://twitter.com/theshorebreak

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 Captions to photos attached embedded in the JPG files. There are more pics available and these are also available in higher resolution.

Digital stills, EPK and links to articles and reviews are available online: http://theshorebreakmovie.com/press/