Human Rights Film Festival
23-30 March 2006
Award winning films being screened for P25 only at Grand Palm Hotel's Star Dust Cinema. With special appearance by film director. DON'T MISS OUT!!!
Film Programme and Summaries
For pdf version with pictures please click here
THURSDAY 23 MARCH
7.00 7.30 p.m.
FILM FESTIVAL OPENING
7.45 – 9.15 p.m.
South Africa and the post-apartheid era
Homecoming (Feature Film) South Africa (2004) 95 minutes. Director: Norman Maake. Courtesy of MaxiD Productions
This film is dedicated to producer, 29 year old Dumisani Dlamini, a respected talent in the South African film industry who died in May 2004. He was shot dead during a robbery in Kensington, Johannesburg , during the filming of Homecoming.
Homecoming explores the challenges of moving forward from a tragic past. It is set in 1996. It follows the return of three exiled MK soldiers; Charlie, Peter and Thabo, to the newly democratised ‘rainbow nation’.
FRIDAY, 24 MARCH 2006
Music of Resistance in Southern Africa
7.30 – 8.35 p.m.
Angola Saudades from the one who loves you Angola (2005) 65 mins. Director: Richard Pakleppa. Courtesy of Uhuru Productions
This film deals with a country coming to terms with democracy as it emerges from the rubbles and decay of civil war. The ordinary person struggles to put food on the table while there are abundant displays of wealth by the political and military elite. In the film, song is used as a protest against corruption. Best Documentary, 3 Continents Film Festival 2005
8.45 – 9.37 p.m.
Marrabentando – The Stories my guitar sings Mozambique (2005) 52 mins. Director: Karen Boswell. Courtesy of Iris Imaginacoes
Mozambique is experienced through an exploration of war, peace and passion. The film is a musical journey through the two ‘Marrabenta’ musicians, Dilon Djinji and Antonio Marcos. They look into the turbulent history of Mozambique – one of colonial oppression, mass labour migration and the struggle for independence and civil war.
SATURDAY, 25 MARCH 2006
War – its causes and effects
Genocide in Namibia
6.00 – 7.00 p.m.
Genocide & The Second Reich UK (2004) 60 mins Director: David Olusoga. BBC
This film traces the links between the genocide of the Herero and the Nama in Namibia – the first genocide of the twentieth century – and the emergence of Hitler’s Nazi Germany.
Life as a refugee in South Africa
7.30 – 7.54 p.m.
A Shadow of Hope South Africa (2005) 24 mins. Director: Pululu Luyeye Makela. Courtesy of the Director
This film explores the experiences of refugees living in South Africa , xenophobia and discrimination. It is about how they are treated by local South Africans. It is also about an incident which occurred in 2003 when an Angolan refugee was killed in a township where he lived with his family and friends. After the incident, various NGOs in Cape Town became involved in trying to solve the problem, but there has still been no change.
‘Legally, the South African Police Service’s function includes apprehension and detaining of undocumented migrants… however (SAPS has .. allegedly) ‘extended’ its mandate to include victiminising foreign nationals, eliciting bribes from foreigners … and subjecting them to inhuman and degrading abuses’. The Zimbabwean 16-22 February 2006, pg 8
Director to attend
The role of the Church in war
8.10 – 9.08 p.m.
In the name of God. Sweden (2004) 58 mins. Director: Maria and Peter Rinaldo. Courtesy of the Directors
During the 1994 Rwandan genocide, Christianity played a role in inciting the violence. The Hutu people were portrayed as the ‘chosen people’ who had been attacked by the pagan Tutsi. The filmmakers follow the Army of Jesus as they infiltrate and attack targets inside Rwanda . The genocidal regime professed the Christian Democratic ideology and gained support from the Catholic Church and from the Christian Democratic International. The film presents documents from that time ,which show how religion was used in the genocide. It also provides eye witness accounts from within the Catholic Church and the Christian Democratic sphere in Belgium .
SUNDAY, 26 MARCH 2006
Islam and Human Rights
Experiences in war
7.30 - 8.17 p.m.
Tin Soldiers Norway (2004) 47 mins. Directors: Torstein Grude and Stian Indrevoll. Courtesy of the Directors
In April 1996, Israeli forces bombed the Fijibata UN headquarters in Southern Lebanon . The camp was then home to 800 refugees, yet the Israeli military pleaded ignorance and claimed that it was an accident. It was written off by the UN and the Norwegian government as ‘just another day in the Middle East ’. However, the personal footage of three Norwegian soldiers deployed in a UN base in nearby Qana, contradict Israeli claims. The film follows the journey of these disillusioned soldiers as they return to Qana seven years later. They go through a radical change of heart, proving that they are not unfeeling ‘tin soldiers’.
Best International Documentary, Beirut International Documentary Festival
AVID Award for Best Editing, Documenta Madrid
Jury’s Honourable Mention, Norwegian Documentary Festival
8.30 – 9.33 p.m.
Pulled from the Rubble U.K (2004) 63 mins. Director: Margaret Loescher. Courtesy of the Director
In August 2003, Gil Loescher was in Baghdad on a humanitarian research trip. He and his colleagues were in a meeting with the Head of the United Nations in Iraq , Sergio Vieira de Mello, when a truck of explosives was driven into the side of the building. Gil was the only survivor from the most damaged part of the building. All of the others in his meeting died. His daughter records their family’s recovery in the months following the bombing.
MONDAY, 27 MARCH 2006
Gender
Domestic Violence
7.30 – 8.20 p.m.
Against My Will 50 mins. Director: Ayfer Ergun. Courtesy of The Netherlands Public Broadcasting
A documentary about women in a shelter in Pakistan . The women’s shelter was founded in 1990 by AGHS, a network of lawyers offering free legal aid to women. In recent years the number of ‘honour’ killings has increased. Not a day passes without a woman being murdered, mutilated or burned, because her husband or family feel that the family honour has not been respected. The authorities do not respond. They turn a blind eye to the fact that women are being murdered in the name of maintaining ‘family honour’. An estimated 1000 ‘honour killings’ are committed every year.
Festival International du Film sur les Droits Humains (FIFDH) Grand Prix de l’Organisation Mondiale Contre la Torture (OMCT)
Rape
8.35 – 9.30 p.m.
Real Men Don’t Rape 55 mins. Director: Karen de Bok. Courtesy of The Netherlands Public Broadcasting
In late 2002, South African President Mbeki, said the words ‘Real Men Don’t Rape’. A few of these men have become activists, trying to prevent rape and trying to reform rapists. These black men are often labelled as ‘sissies’. They have to fight an uphill battle against the male stereotype which allows South African men to abuse women. The documentary shows the key issues in this struggle for change – all of them in the Johannesburg township of Alexandra .
TUESDAY, 28 MARCH 2006
Gender
Polygamy and HIV/AIDS
7.30 – 8.20 p.m.
Women Under the Royal Thumb 50 mins. Director: Remy Vlek. Courtesy of the Netherlands Public Broadcasting
The influence of polygamy on the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Swaziland – a country under feudal monarchy of Africa under the leadership of King Mswati. All political parties have been banned since 1973. The royal house promotes polygamy. Every year King Mswati chooses a new wife during the Reed dance. This comprises a parade of several girls, who dance for the King. Those chosen are said to not be allowed to refuse his marriage proposal. Queen Sibonello, the first wife of the King, was also chosen during the Reed dance. She claims that the practice of polygamy has a great influence on the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In Swaziland , 40% of the population are already infected – it is said to be the highest rate in Africa .
Domestic Violence
8.30 – 9.10 p.m.
Don’t Tell Me You Love Me (200?) 40 mins. Director: Thato Rantao Mwosa. Courtesy of the Director
Masedi and Thabo, an African couple have been settled in the USA for over a year, after emigrating for better economic prospects. Thabo, an engineer, has recently lost his job as an engineer following downsizing at the company where he had worked. He is now working as a security guard while looking for another engineering job. His frustration is taken out on Masedi, as he verbally and physically abuses her. Filmaker Mwoswa stated that ‘We are raised as African women to serve, which makes us vulnerable to abuse. We are also afraid of being deported so we don’t seek help from authorities. We are isolated’.
Official selection of the 2005 Roxbury Film Festival. A Motswana filmmaker, Mwoswa won ‘Emerging Local Filmaker Award’. Offically selected at the African Diaspora Film Festival, New York
WEDNESDAY, 29 MARCH 2006
Youth Culture and HIV/AIDS
7.30 – 9.30 p.m.
Transit (2005) 120 mins.Directed by: Staying Alive - an international campaign providing information on HIV/AIDS prevention and protection. Courtesy of SIDA
Shot on location in Nairobi , Los Angeles , Mexico City and St. Petersburg . It follows the lives of 4 main characters on a journey across four continents and finds them exploring emotion and sexuality in a candid and gripping way. In Kenya , Matthew finds inspiration by diving into Nairobi ’s burgeoning hip-hop culture. In Los Angeles , Asha discovers that the man of her dreams has been cheating on her. In Mexico City , Champinon struggles to find himself a girlfriend and in St. Petersberg, Tatjana dreams of escaping the city.
Staying Alive is a partnership between MTV Networks International, YouthNet spear headed by Family Health International, the Kaiser Family Foundation, USAID, UNAIDS, UNFPA, The World Bank, DFID, SIDA and other organisations. It began in 1998 with an award-winning documentary about six young people from around the world and how their lives had been affected by HIV/AIDS. It has now become a global campaign promoting awareness, involvement and tolerance.
Transit is Staying Alive’s first TV film which premiered on World Aids Day (December 1) 2005.
THURSDAY, 30 MARCH 2006
Southern African socio-political history
Apartheid South Africa
7.30 – 8.22 p.m.
Nelson Mandela: Accused No. 1 Denmark/Great Britain/South Africa (2004) 52 mins. Director: Pascal Lamche. Courtesy of Little Bird Productions
This film focuses on the Rivonia Trial which lasted from July 1963 to June 1964, ending with Nelson Mandela and his co-accused being given life sentences in the Robben Island prison. As one of the most significant political trials of the century, it has thrown open moral and political questions which remain as relevant today as they were over forty years ago. The accused were the leaders of the ANC and its newly-founded military wing of Umkhonto we Sizwe. They included Walter Sisulu, Ahmed Kathrada and Govan Mbeki. The trial took place after three months’ solitary confinement without charge. The indictment accused the eleven men of participating in 222 acts of sabotage with the aim of promoting guerrilla warfare and facilitating a violent putsch in South Africa , as well as its armed invasion.
Indigenous peoples
8.30 – 9.25 p.m.
The Return of Sara Baartman South Africa (2002) 55 mins. Director: Zola Maseko. Courtesy of Film Resource Unit
In a storeroom at Paris ’ Musee de l’Homme, a man carefully wraps a jar in heavy white paper. Inside is the brain of Sara Baartman, which along with the rest of her remains, is finally going home to South Africa . She arrived in London in 1810. She was to be a popular freak show for the next five years. She died in Paris in 1816, aged 26 years old. She was dissected by the French scientific icon Georges Couvier, who saw her as little more than an ape. The Life and Times of Sara Baartman chronicled how she was taken to Europe . It was shown at one of DITSHWANELO’s earlier film festivals. The Return of Sara Baartman traces her return to Africa .
South African President Thabo Mbeki, speaking at her funeral in South Africa said that this story ”is the story of our loss of our ancient freedom … It is the story of our reduction to the status of objects that could be owned, used and disposed of by others.” What are the meanings of her legacy today?
2005 National Women’s Studies Association Film Festival
2004 African Studies Association Film Festival
2004 African Literature Association Film Festival
2004 Pan African Film Festival ( Los Angeles ) |
