The Encounters South African International Documentary Festival opens in Cape Town on 3 July and runs at Nu Metro V&A Waterfront until 13 July. The screening programme comprises a wide range of the top, most controversial and ground breaking documentaries from around the world.
Also included the programme are two Master Classes with visiting filmmakers, namely award-winning Dutch director Sunny Bergman (Over the Hill) and Emmy Award-winning American filmmaker Stanley Nelson (A Place of Our Own).
Both Bergman and Nelson held Master Classes at the Johannesburg leg of Encounters, on 28 June. See reports in the August issue of Screen Africa.
To book your place in the Cape Town Master Classes phone Nu Metro on 021 419 9700/1.
SABC/Encounters Master Class with Sunny Bergman
Master class: Saturday 5 July (9 – 11 am)
V & A Waterfront Nu Metro
Sunny Bergman is an award winning young Dutch director. Her films have been shown internationally on numerous festivals. She often uses her own life as inspiration, putting the old feminist credo “the personal is political” into practice. She operates the camera herself and has a very direct and honest way of approaching her subjects.
Bergman will interactively talk about subjective filmmaking and how a personal reflective and politically involved way can bring about not only awareness, but also change. How can directors use their own thoughts, interactions and dilemma’s to highlight universal themes and aid cultural analysis.
Film viewing: Over the Hill – V & A Waterfront Nu Metro.
Saturdary 5th July 8:15pm, Wednesday 9th July 6:30pm, Saturday 12th 6:45pm
Over the Hill: (The Netherlands. 60 mins): What to do when a doctor tells perfectly normal women they need half their bodies chopped away to look good. Bergman’s look at beauty standards is both deadly serious and shockingly funny, it exposes the dark side of the cosmetic industry – and it ain’t pretty.
SABC/Encounters Master class with filmmaker Stanley Nelson
Master class: Saturday 5th July (12 – 3 pm)
V & A Waterfront Nu Metro
Emmy Award winner Nelson, who is best known for his groundbreaking historical documentaries, will share his experience and expertise on documenting overlooked history, what makes a ’good’ story, and on how to tell a story where there is scant visual historical material. How can the chronicles of the post be (re-) discovered and what techniques can be helpful in, contribute to, finding and interviewing the witnesses of forgotten stories.
Film viewing: A Place of Our Own – V & A Waterfront Nu Metro
Friday 4th 8:30pm, Tuesday 8th 8:15pm, Saturday 12th 3:45pm
A Place of Our Own (USA. 60 mins): A personal account of halcyon days, living the 60s American Dream – growing up in an affluent, upper middle class African-American community on Martha’s Vineyard. Those carefree days are affectionately recreated through archival footage, interviews and amusing anecdotes. A Place of Our Own begs the question of the cost of abandoning a class struggle in achieving the American Dream.
For more information on the films and biographies please visit: www.encounters.co.za.
