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AMAZULU: THE CHILDREN OF HEAVEN
d. Hannan Majid and Richard York, South Africa/ UK 2006
Velabahleke (Come with a Smile) High School in Umlazi township outside Durban may be the only school in the country that starts at 06h30am and finishes at 16h00 and where students are racing to get there on time! Mbongeni Mtshali the principal, has created an oasis of excellence for hundreds of learners, and where students, staff and community are doggedly determined that they not “be slaves to their backgrounds”. Amazulu is a powerful and inspiring narrative which captures their dream of freedom through the only weapon they have - education. Filmmakers in attendance English and Zulu with English subtitles, Video, 90 min AVENGE BUT ONE OF MY TWO EYES
d. Avi Mograbi, France/Israel 2005
From the myths of Samson and Massada, the younger Israeli generations learn that death is preferable to being dominated. Today, as the second Intifada rages, Palestinians are constantly humiliated by the Israeli army – peasants are kept from ploughing their fields, children on their way back from school are stranded at checkpoints for hours.… Exhausted, these people voice their anger and despair. Israeli filmmaker Avi Mograbi still believes in the power of dialogue, with besieged Palestinians, and with omnipresent Israeli army officials. Filmmaker in attendance Hebrew, English and Arabic with English subtitles, 35mm, 100 min ANGOLA - SAUDADES FROM THE ONE WHO LOVES YOU
d. Richard Pakleppa, South Africa/Angola 2005
Angola is struggling to recover from the devastation of 27 years of civil war. This beautifully sound-tracked journey through a land of contrasts presents a kaleidoscopic vision of the diverse experiences of its people, from wealthy oil barons to street children, with mansions and malls juxtaposed against rubble and decay. This award-winning documentary suggests that the future is still out of reach for the majority of Angolans in this rich but anguished land. Portuguese with English subtitles, Video, 65 min BREAKIN’ IN: THE MAKING OF HIP HOP DANCER
d. Elizabeth St.Philip, Canada 2005
Breakin’ In: The Making of a Hip Hop Dancer follows three young black women behind the scenes as they compete for roles in highly sexualised hip hop music videos. This edgy documentary examines and exposes both the allure of urban culture and the deep impact it has had on an entire generation of young women, their personal values, their career ambitions and their concepts of beauty and self-image. English, Video, 57 min
BEAUTY AND THE BEASTS
d. Greg Streak, South Africa 2006
Renowned visual artist Greg Streak’s exploration of the pollution problems in the South Durban Basin reflects a generic example of the kinds of blatant hypocrisy that we find playing itself out throughout the world today, when people face up against the powerful corporates. With his artist’s eye and sense of humanity he engages a community living at this inhuman interface. Filmmaker in attendance English, Video, 78 min
BEYOND FREEDOM
d.Jacquie Trowell, South Africa 2005
This animated documentary is a collaborative effort by local artists and animators - an eclectic visual interpretation that explores beyond South Africa’s new-found freedom the subtle leaps and quiet transformation often overlooked on the road to political change. Filmmaker in attendance. English, Video, 10 min BLOOD RELATIVES
d. Cedric Nunn, South Africa 2006
Blood Relatives considers the South African phenomenon of ‘colouredness’, told through photographer Nunn’s own family that, over five generations, has survived and thrived on the frontier between black and white societies over three epochs of South African history: colonialism, apartheid and freedom. The shifting nature of racialised identities is explored, and questions arise as to the future of ‘colouredness’ in a democratised, and hopefully de-racialising South Africa. English, Video, 51 min BREYANI AND THE COUNCILLORS
d. Sally Giles and Faizel Khan, South Africa 2006
Twelve years after democracy, delivery on the promise of housing to the poorest of the poor has been slow with large shacklands still very much a part of South African life. The shackdwellers movements – Abahlali baseMjondolo – incorporating various informal shacklands in and around the city of Durban, are mobilising against slow delivery and relocations. Their struggle is ongoing… Filmmakers in attendance English and isiZulu with English subtitles, Video, 22 min THE BUSHMANS SECRET
d. Rehad Desai, South Africa 2006
Bushman’s Secret is of particular relevance in a world where intellectual property rights are the new frontier of economic contestation. Centred around the San people’s rights deal over the Hoodia weight loss plant, Desai’s often wry approach elicits differing stakeholder perspectives and experiences. The San experience, which is in effect a critical world test-case, sadly highlights that the loss of land rights in the Kalahari highly endangers the next generation of indigenous knowledge holders.
Filmmaker in attendance Various languages with English subtitles, Video, 64 min THE CHILDREN OF LENINGRADSKY
d.Hanna Polak, Andrzej Celínski, Poland 2004
Since the fall of the Iron Curtain an estimated four million children have found themselves living on the streets in the former countries of the Soviet Union. This raw and revealing Oscar-nominated documentary concentrates on a community of homeless children living in the Moscow train station Leningradsky, huddling together on hot water pipes to stay warm on winter nights and spending most of their days begging, sniffing glue and evading police. It is a life of fleeting possibilities and much danger. Russian with English subtitles, Video, 35 min COAST TO COAST: A PIECE OF MY HEART
d. Mike Blyth and Olivier Aubert, South Africa/ Switzerland 2005
Two friends journey from the East to West coast of Africa on a trike-type micro-light aircraft! Their journey, following four great African rivers – the Zambezi, Chobe, Okavango and Kunene – covering 12 000km and spanning 4 months, involves exciting and dangerous adventures, with strange and amazing encounters. With beautiful aerial photography of the African landscape, the film makes some revelatory discoveries about the aesthetic quality, cultural richness, poverty and ignorance of the continent and its people. English, Video, 52 min CONGO RIVER
d. Thierry Michel, Belgium/France 2004
This documentary journey on the great Congo River takes in everything from extraordinary barges and river-craft that serve as floating villages, vestiges of war and collapsed empires, always the presence of the jungle, a variety of religious ceremonies, and an insight into the lives of those who look to the river as resource, sustenance and public thoroughfare. Powerful and evocative, we glimpse a world of many contrasts. Lingala, Kiswahili, English, French with English subtitles, 116min. DOUBLE VISION
d. Paul Weinberg and Karin Shapiro, USA/South Africa 2005
Double Vision is an engaging perspective of the growing South African community in North Carolina, USA, the diverse reasons why they settled there, and the contributions and compromises that they’ve had to make in their immersion into American culture. The film creates a helpful understanding of the South African diaspora, and fosters an appreciation for the richness of South African people, culture and history. Filmmaker in attendance English, Video, 39 min THE GIANT BUDDHAS
d. Christian Frei, Switzerland 2005
In 2001, ignoring worldwide opposition, Islamic fundamentalists, supporting a Taliban decree and using military equipment and explosives, destroyed two landmark giant Buddhas, sculpted more than 1,600 years ago into the side of a cliff in the Bamiyan Valley in Afghanistan. While the world mourned the loss of a piece of its history, many eastern cultures and religions grieved for the destruction of the statues’ spiritual significance. Frei’s captivating and textured narrative, the meditative pace and the mesmerising visuals make this film more than just a political statement, but an artistic exploration in itself. Filmmaker in attendance English, Video, 95 min GROWING STRONGER
d. Tsitsi Dangarembga, Zimbabwe 2005
Model and wife to the then coach of the Zimbabwe national football team, Tendayi Westerhof stunned the nation by becoming the first high profile person to go public about her HIV status in 2002. Pamela Kanjenzna has a very different life in a high density suburb, but both women powerfully demonstrate how to live with dignity while HIV-positive. Intimate and compelling, told with courage and audacity. English, Shona with English subtitles, Video, 28 min HEAVEN’S HERDS – NGUNI CATTLE, NGUNI PEOPLE
d. James Hersov, Sofia de Fay, South Africa 2005
This film centres around Nguni cattle, a hardy, colourful breed indigenous to Southern Africa, and the intimate relationship forged between them and the Nguni people and the AmaZulu in particular. Holding significance in every sphere of life, these beautiful cattle were a symbol of wealth and a sacred link with the ancestors. Woven around compelling characters, events and ceremonies, and with the story told by sculptor/ poet Professor Pitika Ntuli, the Nguni herds assume their mythological status in the deliciously framed lush green landscape of KwaZulu-Natal. Filmmakers in attendance English and Zulu with English subtitles, Video, 75 min HOMESICK
d. Asivhanzhi “Asi”Mathaba, South Africa 2006
A searing profile of a young South African woman, working as a singer in Hong Kong. Precious Unathi Motsweni has experienced more than her share of hardship, including broken homes, dire poverty and violence, and this emerges vividly as we meet her family and friends. But nothing can stop this indomitable woman from achieving her dream of becoming a singer. This is an intimate portrait of a singer on the cusp of stardom. isiXhosa and English with English subtitles, Video, 72 min I MIKE WHAT I LIKE
d. Jyoti Mistry, South Africa 2006
Based on the multimedia stage play of the same title, and using a pacey, music video aesthetic, this is a kaleidoscopic visual interpretation of the powerful words of spoken word warrior Kgafela oa Magogodi. In a roving conversation of words, images, text, music, graphics and performance set to jazz improvisation, Kgafela speaks the unspeakable and mikes what he likes. Filmmakers in attendance English and Setswana, Video, 51 min AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH - OPENING NIGHT FILM
d. Davis Guggenheim, USA 2006
Humanity is sitting on a time bomb. If scientists are right, we have just ten years to avert a major catastrophe that could send our entire planet’s climate system into a tailspin of epic destruction involving extreme weather, floods, droughts, epidemics and killer heat waves. Central protagonist is former US Vice President Al Gore, who, after his 2000 election defeat, refocused his life into commitment to help save the planet from irrevocable change. In a charming, humourous and frankly terrifying multimedia presentation, Gore makes it clear that global warming is not just a political issue – it is the biggest moral challenge facing our global civilisation. Absolutely essential. English, 35mm, 90 min THE IMMIGRANT (MOHAJER)
d. Vahid Vahed, Iran/Australia 2005
This sad tale recounts the life of a soldier who sought refuge in Iran after deserting the Iraqi Army in 1975. Thirty years hence, Abdullah is still telling the stories of his sporting prowess during the prime of his life. Because of his refugee status, which remains unchanged, his ultimate dream to compete internationally was never fulfilled. A poignant portrait of a difficult refugee existence. Farsi with English subtitles, Video, 24 min INKANI
d. Shannon Walsh and Heinrich Böhmke, South Africa 2006
Built from new and archival footage, Inkani traces the growing resistance of poor communities over the last seven years in Durban, including the violent evictions in Bayview, the Ten Rand march, the Marcel King shooting and the Abahlali baseMjondolo marches and victories. A new movement has emerged. Filmmakers in attendance. isiZulu with English Subtitles, Video, 13 min JOHN & JANE
d. Ashim Ahluwalia, India 2005
India’s Ashim Ahulwalia takes a fly on the wall approach in his aesthetically filmed documentary John and Jane, a warmly ironic look into the lives of six telephone call agents whose Mumbai agency is directed at consumer needs in North America. Surreal cultural training sessions transform the young Indians into pseudo-Americans. Is this a harbinger of the future of globalised world? English, Video, 83 min JOURNALIST AND THE JIHADI - THE MURDER OF DANIEL PEARL
d.Ahmed Jamal and Ramesh Sharma, UK 2006
The highly-publicised post-September 11 kidnapping and beheading of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in Karachi, Pakistan, is examined in counter-point to the life of jihadi activist, Omar Sheikh. This film tracks the parallel lives of these two men, both committed passionately to fixing the wrongs of their worlds. Pearl believed his writings could bridge the divide between the Islamic and the Western worlds; Sheikh believed that militancy and violence was the necessary solution. Narrated by Christiane Amanpour. English, 35mm, 80 min LAW AND FREEDOM
d.Zackie Achmet, South Africa 2005
One of the most important gains of the first ten years of democracy in South Africa has been the legal revolution brought about by the Constitution. Narrated and directed by Zackie Achmat, Law and Freedom explores key decisions of the Constitutional Court's landmark judgements. One such case involved Mr and Mrs Khomani – a case in 1980 which led to the collapse of the hated Pass Laws. 2005 was the 25th anniversary of their remarkable legal victory which shook one of the pillars of apartheid. In another featured, and more personal constitutional issue, the “Nevirpine case”, Zackie pays tribute to TAC members who through their work of education and community mobilisation used the Constitution to achieve access to life saving treatment – ensuring that we have, as one member comments, “ A nice country! ”.
Filmmaker in attendance. English, Video, 98min NEIL YOUNG: HEART OF GOLD
d. Jonathan Demme, USA 2006
Folk-rock legend and father of grunge Neil Young last year underwent surgery for a brain aneurysm. It is a measure of the true cool of the man that it hardly dents his stride with recording sessions and then a major stage-show. Drawn from the Prairie Wind concert in Nashville, this smart, aesthetically understated film from Jonathan Demme reveals the strength and assurance of Young’s new music, plus some of his classics, and includes a stellar assembly of his music compadres like Emmylou Harris. English, 35mm, 103 min NO MORE TEARS SISTER
d. Helene Klodawsky, Canada 2005
A Sri Lankan family is devastated by the murder of Ranjani Thiranagama, wartime mother, university professor wife, and political activist who single-handedly brought the struggles of the Tamil Tigers to the world’s attention. This film recounts the role of this revolutionary woman, and of others around her. A richly textured story of love, revolution and betrayal. English, Video, 81 min Durban International Film Festival 2006 42 Durban International Film Festival 2006 ON AIR
d. Christophe Joly, France 2006
The mainstream US media industry is currently operating under the ownership of fewer than ten conglomerates, often resulting in very restricted coverage and inadequate representation of politics, social issues and major events. On Air investigates the subsequent emergence of an alternative media practice that works on a public service imperative. Accessing interviews with key alternative media practitioners, the film delves into the anti-establishment approach and ways in which they inform, educate and attempt to develop a critical, active audience. English, Video, 53 min METAL: A HEADBANGERS STORY
d. Sam Dunn, Scot McFadyen, Jessica Joy Wise, Canada 2005
An epic journey into the heart of heavy metal. Exploring metal’s obsession with sex, religion, violence and death, and interwoven with interviews and music. With everyone from fans and experts to Metal’s most notorious and hippest, the low down, the high art, the dirt, its all there. One of the most comprehensive if not unsettling films ever made on this subject; fascinating, even for non-Metal fans. English, 35mm, 98 min MURDERBALL
d. Dana Adam Shapiro and Henry-Alex Rubin, USA 2004
Winner of the audience prize at Sundance Film Festival, this astonishingly honest film about the ultra-competitive world of quadriplegic rugby features fierce rivalry, stopwatch suspense, and strong hints of Mad Max. In addition to smashing gladiator wheelchairs in this full-contact sport, it also smashes every stereotype you had about “cripples”. Murderball is about family, revenge, honour, sex, triumph and reconciliation. It is the story of overcoming injuries and despair, and learning not only to function in the everyday world, but also to become Olympians. English, Video, 85 min MY COUNTRY, MY COUNTRY
d. Laura Poitras, USA 2006
My Country My Country takes place at the time of the post-invasion election in occupied Iraq, where we meet Iraqis who are working towards democracy within an Islamic milieu. It focuses around the predicaments of a medical doctor, a devout Sunni Muslim and father of six, who is also a candidate in the elections. How does a critic of the American occupation fare in a “free” democracy, and can democracy exist when it is defined by an outside force? A powerful insight into daily life in Baghdad. Arabic, English, Kurdish with English subtitles, Video, 90 min THE PACT
d. Andrea Kalin, United States 2005
The Pact, is about three African-American men from the inner city who overcame poverty, criminal records and crack-addicted parents to become doctors and are now fighting to inspire the next generation to dare, dream and do. This gritty, provocative story of a pact made between three friends in high school captures the pathos of the men’s individual journeys, the integrity of their voices and the power of their rare friendship. English, Video, 93 min NO!
d. Aishah Shahidah Simmons, USA 2005
Cinematic activism at its finest, NO! breaks the silence for women and activists everywhere! Through testimonies from Black women survivors, archival footage, commentaries from acclaimed African American scholars and activists, NO! unveils the realities of rape and other forms of sexual violence in African American communities. Woven together with exquisite dramatisatons, powerful performance poetry and spirited music, NO! moves from rage, trauma, emotional and physical pain to meditation, dialogue, action and to healing. English, Video, 94 min QUILOMBO COUNTRY
d. Leornard Abrams, USA/Brazil 2006
Behind the fronds of the Amazon, descendants of rebel runaway slaves are fighting for their rights in twenty first century Brazil. Living in Quilombos, “encampments”, these communities have for generations lived a uniquely sustainable life outside the mainstream economy. Their land and their culture are now threatened by increasing conflicts with neighbouring farmers, encroaching globalisation, political upheaval and continued discrimination. This is juxtaposed with humour, Afro- Brazilian ceremonies and dance. Portuguese with English subtitles, Video, 74 min REAL SAHARAWI
d. Caroline Kamya, Uganda 2004
In 1975, Western Sahara was invaded by Morocco and Mauritania. Fleeing, the Saharawi people found refuge in the deserts of Algeria, where over 200 000 are still living in camps. Zrug left for an education in Cuba when he was eight. Returning 16 years later, he discovers life has changed dramatically, and he is now more than determined to fight for freedom and his land back. Luganda with English subtitles, Video, 15 min RETURN OF THE POET
Harutyun Khachatryan, Armenia 2006
Armenia’s 19th century folk poet Ashugh Jivani is given a new life - first through a sculptor who step by step creates his image, and later as a statue roaming around the countryside on the back of a truck. It’s as if we see Armenia through the poet’s Durban International Film Festival 2006 44 Durban International Film Festival 2006 45 eyes and work. A multi-layered and eloquent tracing of the creative process, with a richly evocative soundtrack. Armenian with English subtitles, Video, 88 min RWANDA - THE HILLS SPEAK
d. Bernard Bellefroid, Belgium 2005
Eleven years after Rwanda’s devastating genocide, this film examines the thoughts and experiences of the survivors and torturers of the incident, during the periods before and after the Gacaca tribunals. These unique courts facilitated face-to-face meetings between victims and perpetrators. Emotional scenes reveal some harsh truths that an entire society has to reconcile in order to move forward. Kinyarwanda with English subtitles, Video, 50 min SCENE NOT HEARD
d. Maori Karmael Holmes, USA 2005
Drawing on high-energy and largely unseen performance footage, Scene Not Heard embarks on an illuminating journey of the contribution of women to hip hop culture and the gendered struggles endured before breaking into the industry. Philadelphia – the heart of the underground hip hop scene – provides the dynamic backdrop to the film as it engages the history, talents and experiences of female artists such as Floetry, Bahamadia and Lady B. Filmmaker in attendance. English, Video, 45 min A SHADOW OF HOPE
d. Makela L. Pululu, South Africa 2005
Over 800 people arrive in Cape Town every month escaping brutality, persecution and political turmoil in countries such as Burundi, DRC, Somalia and others. They battle to get refugee status, and other basic human rights, and face challenges from local communities. This film explores the battle to eradicate discrimination and xenophobia in South Africa. Filmmaker in attendance. English, Video, 24 min SHANGHAI BRIDE
d. Sam Voutas, Australia 2006
Finding a wife is no longer as simple as it used to be. Shanghai’s one-child policy combined with increasing materialism and a growing society of selective middle class and professional women, have resulted in eligible women becoming a scarce commodity. The increasingly demanding criteria of contemporary women – money, status, an acceptance of her independence, etc., are incurring matrimonial dilemmas, disappointment, desperation and expense for Shanghai men. Mandarin, Shanghai dialect and English with English subtitles, Video, 51 min THE SHAPE OF WATER
d. Kum-Kum Bhavnani, USA 2006
Powerful women with passion for change are responding to cultural injustices and inequality by forging new struggles to create a sustainable future for all. The Shape of Water takes audiences to Brazil’s Amazonian rainforest where women tap trees for rubber; to Senegal where women are fighting female genital cutting; to a peace vigil in Jerusalem created to end years of Israeli occupation of Palestine; and to India where the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) has empowered poor women to rise from poverty into dignity. As narrator Susan Sarandon says, this film “is about hope not despair, about courage not sentimentality…” Wolof, Hindi, Gujarati, Portuguese with English subtitles, Video, 70 min SISTERS IN LAW
d. Florence Ayisi and Kim Longinotto, Cameroon/UK 2005
A quite revolution unfolds in Cameroonian village of Kuma. The local prosecutor and magistrate are strong women who tackle injustice and abuse with loads of courage and heaps of humour. An intimate and often highly dramatic glimpse into the court processes of a village where perpetrator and survivor live in close proximity, and where everyone knows the crime. Deeply moving and with unforgettable characters, and superb music. English, 35mm, 104 minutes STAR BIZ
d. Merle Kroeger and Dorothee Wenner, Germany 2005,
Using the Mercedes as a ‘symbol’ for a critical but amusing case study of consumerism in the age of globalisation, Star Biz examines the cultural appropriation of Western luxury goods in India. Through buying a Mercedes, the customer in India also purchases a certain lifestyle, and the company takes great care to nurture this image. This entertaining film peeks inside Bollywood to see the process at work. English, German and Hindi with English subtitles, Video, 85 min VENDETTA SONG
d. Eylem Kaftan, Canada 2005
Nearly three decades ago, a spirited young woman from a remote Kurdish village dared to choose the man she wanted to marry and paid a price - with her life. This award-winning film sheds light on this particular story and brings into focus the appalling tradition of honour killing, in which men murder female relatives perceived to have brought “dishonour” on the family, a practice which persists in many parts of the world. English and Turkish with English subtitles, Video, 52 min WHO SHOT MY BROTHER?
d. Germán Gutiérrez, Canada 2005
An assassination attempt on his brother galvanises the filmmaker into action in his old homeland of Colombia. Who is Oscar Gutiérrez and why is there a price on his head? The search for truth is full of twists and turns. Militants like Oscar, whose weapons are words, are both loved and hated in a country in danger of collapsing from within. English and Spanish with English subtitles, Video, 95 min WORKERS AT WYATT RD (ABASEBENZI EWYATT RD)
d. Aoibheann O'Sullivan, South Africa 2005 DOC
This film stemmed from the meeting of pre-doctoral scholar Ntokozo Mthembu and Irish filmmaker Aoibheann O'Sullivan. Mthembu leads the film interviews into the harsh lives led by the men in his research domain. O'Sullivan's camera and editing expertly explores and engages the visceral lives of jobseekers waiting at yet another road in Durban, South Africa, hoping to secure a few hours of casual labour. With unemployment near 40% the odds are against them. Filmmaker in attendance. English subtitles, Video, 14 min WORKINGMAN’S DEATH
d. Michael Glawogger, Australia 2005
This powerful documentary tracks in gripping detail the dangerous, exhausting and unforgiving circumstances under which manual labourers across the world work. Told in six chapters from Ukraine to Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, China and Germany, the film ventures into the material and psychological reality of these workers, and highlights most tragically their lack of choice. Visually disturbing and conceptually sophisticated, this film is unflinching in its comment on the exploits of industrialisation, capitalism and globalization. With unforgettable images of extreme conditions Workingman’s Death constructs a jaw-dropping ode to workers everywhere. Warning: This film contains graphic visuals. Not for sensitive viewers. Russian, Basha, Indonesian, English, Ibu, Yokuba, Pashtu and Mandarin with English subtitles, 35mm, 122 min ZERO DEGREES OF SEPARATION
d. Elle Flanders, Canada 2005
Incorporating footage of Jewish life in Israel in the 1940s, the director poignantly captures the contemporary Israeli/Palestinian situation from the perspective of one gay and one lesbian couple. The interesting dynamic is not so much the sexuality of the couples, but that they are from different sides of the divide (each consists of one Israeli and one Palestinian partner). The film acutely hones in on personal struggles at the levels of identity and relationships against a backdrop of political turmoil and instability. Arabic and Hebrew with English subtitles, Video, 89 min Durban International Film Festival 2006 48 |
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