Four films made as part of the collaborative film project, Filmmakers Against Racism (FAR), will be screened at the 59th Berlin International Film Festival which takes place from 5 to 15 February. FAR was initiated by a group of South African filmmakers in response to the horrific wave of xenophobic attacks which took place over 10 days in the country last year.
The founding members of the initiative comprise Rehad Desai of Uhuru Productions, Neil Brandt of Luna Films, Desiree Markgraaff of The Bomb Shelter, Eve Rantseli of Women of the Sun, Carolyn Carew-Maseko of Born Free Media, and actor/director, Xoliswa Sithole. The FAR films were supported by the Goethe Institute and the Heinrich Boell Foundation (HBF).
The four FAR films will be screened three times during the Berlinale International Forum.
One of the events at the Berlinale Talent Campus on 10 February will feature a panel discussion with Omelga Mthiyane, Riaan Hendricks, Adze Ugah, Danny Turken, Andy Spitz and Rehad Desai. The moderator will be Dorothee Wenner. Desai will provide an overview of the initiative and after the presentation of the four films, there will be an open discussion.
A lunch on 11 February has been organised and will provide an opportunity for African filmmakers to interact with German politicians on the subject of South Africa in 2009. The lunch will be hosted by HBF.
