COUNTDOWN TO ZERO
By Lucy Walker, United Kingdom
Countdown to Zero traces the history of the atomic bomb from its origins to the present state of global affairs. Walker (Waste Land, Blindsight) makes a compelling case for worldwide nuclear disarmament. Filmmaker in attendance.
THE DAWN OF A NEW DAY
By Ryley Grunenwald, South Africa
This film tackles Africa’s healthcare problem through the eyes of three West Africans in need of specialised surgery. Meanwhile, a South African plastic surgeon leaves his successful private practice to volunteer on a hospital ship sailing to Benin. World Premiere. Filmmaker in attendance.
DEAR MANDELA
By Dara Kell, Christopher Nizza, South Africa, United States
When the South African government begins evicting shack dwellers from their homes, three friends living in Durban’s shantytowns refuse to be moved. They invoke Mandela’s example by becoming leaders in an inspiring social movement. World Premiere.
Filmmakers in attendance.
MAMA AFRICA
By Mika Kaurismaki, Finland, Germany,South Africa
Mama Africa is an inspirational tribute to the late, legendary Grammy Award-winning South African singer and activist Miriam Makeba, affectionately known to fans as “Mama Africa’. A film packed with five decades of rare archival footage, interviews and excerpts from the performances that exhilarated millions and inspired musicians like Harry Belafonte, Hugh Masekela and Paul Simon. African Premiere. Filmmaker in attendance.
POSITION AMONG THE STARS
By Leonard Retel Helmrich, The Netherlands
This film is the final part of a trilogy that took 12 years to make. It took the top prizes at both Sundance and IDFA as did its predecessor. Retel Hemrich uses incredible single-shot camera work to reveal underlying political, social, economic and religious patterns of life in Indonesia, through the life of one family. Filmmakers in attendance.
PUNK IN AFRICA
By Keith Jones, Deon Maas,Czech Republic, South Africa
In Mozambique, Zimbabwe and South Africa, punk represented a genuinely radical political impulse. The film traces this story from the underground rock music of 1970s Johannesburg to the first multi-racial punk bands formed after the Soweto Uprising and the militant anti-apartheid hardcore/post-punk bands of the 1980s, to the African-inspired ska bands of the 1990s. World Premiere. Filmmakers in attendance.
THE SACRIFICE
By Moussa Sene Absa, Senegal
Created By Silver Bear-winning Moussa Sene Absa, this poetic documentary is a call for respect. When a boat is found washed up in the Bahamas (where Absa teaches film) with 11 bodies on board, Absa returns home to learn about their dreams, and of their betrayal.
Filmmaker in attendance.
SING YOUR SONG
By Susanne Rostock, USA
Although best known as a Grammy, Tony and Emmy Award-winning singer from Jamaica and a movie star who broke colour barriers in the 1960s, Harry Belafonte’s greatest legacy is his tenacious human rights activism in the civil rights and anti-apartheid movements. This film traces Belafonte’s relationships with such greats as Martin Luther King, Eleanor Roosevelt and Nelson Mandela.
SOBUKWE, A GREAT SOUL
By Mickey Madoda Dube, South Africa
Robert Sobukwe, founder of the Pan Africanist Congress, lit the fire for anti-apartheid protests such as Sharpeville, an historic moment that led to his arrest and subsequent nine-year long detainment under a special amendment that became known as the Sobukwe Clause. World Premiere. Filmmaker in attendance.
STREET KIDS UNITED
By Tim Pritchard, South Africa, United Kingdom
Shot in Durban during the months leading up to last year’s FIFA World Cup, this film explores how a simple sporting event, the Street Child World Cup, can empower people both on and off the field. African Premiere. Filmmaker in attendance.
