The 3rd annual International Black DocuFest ™ will be hosted at Atlanta’s celebrated High Museum of Art on September 17 th – 19th, 2009.
LAST YEAR'S SCREENING & PANEL SCHEDULE
“In the Shadow of Hollywood: Race Movies
& the Birth of Black Cinema”
(Thursday at 6pm, 9/18/08)
Director: Brad Osborne
Country Focus: United States
This documentary captures the sounds and images of a nearly forgotten era in film history when African-American filmmakers and studios created "race movies" exclusively for black audiences. The best of these films attempted to counter the demeaning stereotypes of Black Americans prevalent in the popular culture of the day. About 500 films were produced, yet only about 100 still exist. In the Shadow honors filmmaking pioneers like Oscar Micheaux, the Noble brothers, and Spencer Williams, Jr. who left a lasting influence on the future of black filmmaking, and inspired generations of audiences who finally saw their own lives reflected on the silver screen. (Atlanta premiere) 2008 Best Documentary Feature Award Winner
“The Bushman’s Secret”
(Thursday at 7:15pm, 9/18/08)
Director: Rehad Desai
Country Focus: South Africa
The situation facing the San Bushmen of the Kalahari Desert is detailed in this eye-opening documentary. Evicted from their ancestral lands, forced to abandon their native languages, and left to fend for themselves in a state of brutal poverty on the fringes of South African society, the Bushmen now face further exploitation, since the hoodia cactus (a source of food and medicinal healing) is being taken from their remaining lands by western conglomerates. This documentary raises the issues of indigenous people's rights and fair use of community knowledge.
PANEL DISCUSSION (Thursday at 8:30pm, 9/18/08)
Panelists:
Dr. Charles S. Finch, Harriett Harris, Dr. Malcolm Johnson, Iyajoke Ojelade, and Dirk Twine (moderator: Kimberly Stewart)
“Homeland”
(Thursday at 9:10pm, 9/18/08)
Director: Jacqueline Kalimunda
Country Focus: Rwanda
This is the story of a Rwandan woman who embarks on a journey to learn about her country, its people, and its history over two generations in an attempt to understand the genocide, ethnic division and the recurring violence. This pivotal work, well documented with unpublished official archives, places the victims’ testimony at the center of the dialogue. Viewer discretion is advised. (Atlanta premiere). To purchase film, contact kalimunda@free.fr.
Shorts Series (Friday at 6:05pm), 9/19/08
“Nappy Heads” 4 mins
Director: Sabrina Moella
Country Focus: Canada
This experimental short documentary is a celebration of the glorious afro hair in its natural and unaltered state. On the streets of Toronto, the filmmaker draws dozens of joyful portraits of women, men, children who showed the beauty of their natural hair in front of the camera.
“Nightwatch Zion” 4 mins
Director: Nadine Hutton
Country Focus: South Africa
This experimental short documentary will introduce audiences to "stop-frame animation", the innovative use of digital stills to create moving images. This process tricks the brain into seeing movement in a sequence of still images that are quickly flashed before the eye. Experience this technique as it is applied to photographs of Zion Christian Church members as they perform their religious rites in an empty building in Johannesburg.
“McCollum's Lens” 6 mins
Director: Tao Ruspoli
Country Focus: United States
This short documentary explores the ambitions, inspirations and photographic genius of Shannon McCollum, an Atlanta-based photojournalist and hip hop documentarian who serves as the official photographer for Outkast, Dead Prez, Lil’ Jon and countless other hip hop giants.
“Dollars & Dreams: West Africans in New York”
(Friday at 6:35pm, 9/19/08)
Director: Jeremy Rocklin
Country Focus: United States
Experience the pursuits and challenges of West African immigrants as they confront the idea of the American dream and the harsh realities of New York life. Including additional perspectives from scholars, authors, and community leaders, the film creates a vibrant portrait of African achievement throughout the city, while exploring the complicated issues African immigrants face as they balance their deep connections to Africa and their commitments to America.
“Queens of Sound”
(Friday at 7:35pm, 9/19/08)
Director: Sandra Krampelhuber
Country Focus: Jamaica
Through in-depth interviews and performances, explore the long neglected female side of Reggae and Dancehall music. This documentary will introduce audiences to three generations of women artists who share their personal stories of past and present struggles, successes, and dreams in the male-dominated business.
“Surfing Soweto”
(Friday at 8:55pm, 9/19/08)
Director: Sara Blecher
Country Focus: South Africa
Train surfing is a new sport that is catching on in the townships of South Africa. Young South African boys risk their lives and limbs to perform dangerous routines on moving trains, ducking bridges and high-voltage cables as they dance with death. Despite the bravado, this documentary delves into the personal and often difficult lives of these young train surfers, as they search for love
and acceptance and grapple with loss and constant changes. Viewer discretion is advised. (Atlanta premiere) To inquire about film, contact sarab@iafrica.com.
“Moving to the Beat”
(Friday at 9:35pm, 9/19/08)
Director: Caleb Haymen & Abdul Fofanah
Country Focus: Sierra Leone, United States
This documentary follows the Oregonian hip hop group, Rebel Soulz, as they travel to Freetown, Sierra Leone to discover a spiritual homeland and resurrect hip-hop music. Their journey unfolds as a story of hope and longing to find a common identity through hip-hop, and destroy the cultural divide between Africans and African Americans. As they confront stereotypes of one another and explore issues from sexism and gender to war and violence, the two groups forge a deep connection that transcends centuries of separation and misunderstanding. (World premiere)
“Batuque”
(Saturday at 11:15am, 9/20/08)
Director: Julio Silvão Tavares
Country Focus: Cape Verde
In 1462, the first African slaves were settled on the island of Cape Verde brought by the Portuguese colonists. With them, they carried the rhythms and the seeds of what became the “Batuque”, a unique and beautifully sensual music and dance form performed mostly by ordinary women. Despite the attempts of colonists to ban the songs and dances of the Batuque, this wonderful tradition has remained alive in the hearts and daily lives of Cape Verdeans. (North American premiere)
“This Far By Faith: Barbados Centenarians”
(Saturday at 12:15pm, 9/20/08)
Director: Cassandra Hollis
Country Focus: Barbados
The island of Barbados has the world's 2nd highest per capita number of centenarians (adults who are 100 years of age or older). This documentary will allow you to explore the factors that contribute to this wonderful phenomenon. (Atlanta premiere)
“Zoned In”
(Saturday at 1:00pm, 9/20/08)
Director: Daniela Zanzotto
Country Focus: United States
Filmed over the course of nine years, this film traces the remarkable journey of a 16-year-old who graduates from a poor and inner-city high school and successfully enters one of America’s top Ivy League universities. Narrated by Daniel himself, the film explores the role of race and class in the American education system, while depicting the struggles of Black youth who find it difficult to fit in amongst the privileged students at college. Despite the challenges, this documentary celebrates the accomplishments of this extraordinary young man, and depicts his candid questioning of a system that has allowed him to excel but has left so many of his friends and family members behind. (Atlanta premiere). 2008 Audience Choice Award Winner. To purchase film, contact danielazanzotto@googlemail.com.
PANEL DISCUSSION (Saturday at 2:35pm, 9/20/08)
Panelists: Dr. Everard Barrett , Mwalimu K. Bomani Baruti, Dr. Joyce King, Argus Milton, Earl Mitchell, and Chrishirella Warthen (moderator: Vince Bailey)
“Movement (R)evolution Africa”
(Saturday at 3:30pm, 9/20/08)
Director: Joan D. Frosch
Country Focus: Angola, Senegal, Nigeria, Burkino Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Madagascar, Benin, Cameroon
Explore the emerging movement and critical innovations in dance through the voices and performances of contemporary African artists. In this realistic portrait of Africans dancers, witness the extraordinary physical power within the intimate parameters of breath-filled self-revelation. Through dance, these African artists
challenge and explore the complexities of upturned cultural
encounters, war, alienation, and racism worldwide.
“The Power of Art: Women’s Voices in Africa”
(Saturday at 4:40pm, 9/20/08)
Director: Claudine Pommier
Country Focus: Benin, Burkino Faso, Morocco, Nigeria
Culture is no longer a static body of knowledge, values, practices and expressions shared and passed on by a community. It is a dynamic reality. This documentary explores how contemporary African women who choose to be professional artists claim their position, and deal with the stereotypes associated with being both African and female. (Atlanta premiere)
PANEL DISCUSSION (Saturday at 5:35pm, 9/20/08)
Panelists:
Dr. Jelani Cobb,
Abdul Fofanah,
Ed Garnes,
Okeeba Jubalo,
Carla A. Lopez, Terri Mimms,
Mausiki Scales, and
Stic-man from Dead Prez (moderator:
Saniyyah Griffin)
“Under the River”
(Saturday at 6:25pm, 9/20/08)
Director: Jesse Lanier
Country Focus: Ghana
In Ghana, children as young as three are sent away from home to work for money needed desperately by impoverished families. Child trafficking leaves a wake of fractured families, exposes the difficulties of certain cultural values and gender roles, and illustrates the desperation poverty causes. This documentary follows one non-governmental organization’s efforts to rescue children from bonded labor and return them to their parents,
many of whom who were trafficked out because their parents
could not afford to take care of them. (World premiere). To purchase film, contact jesselanier@gmail.com.
“Through the Negev”
(Saturday at 7:20pm, 9/20/08)
Director: Ya-Hsuan Huang
Country Focus: Sudan
Through in-depth interviews with Sudanese women, their children, and the refugee assistance agencies, we get a complex account about the realities and risks of escaping the current genocide in Darfur. This documentary explores the struggles of displaced families as they dangerously escape war and instability in Sudan, travel to neighboring Egypt where they are violently persecuted, eventually traveling to Israel for safe haven. The situation is complex, as the refugees have journeyed across a web of geo-political and religious-cultural boundaries looking for a place to call home. This short documentary is a collaborative project that chronicles the Sudanese
refugee experience in Israel.
“The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo”
(Saturday at 7:40pm, 9/20/08)
Director: Lisa F. Jackson
Country Focus: Democratic Republic of Congo
Shot in the war zones of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), this documentary explores the shocking plight of women and girls caught in the sexual crossfire. Since 1998, the brutal war that has ravaged DRC and killed over 4 million people, has resulted in the systematic raping and torturing of tens of thousands of women and girls by soldiers - both from foreign militias and the Congolese army that is supposed to protect them. Viewer discretion is advised. (Atlanta premiere) 2008 Best Human Rights Watch Award
PANEL DISCUSSION (Saturday at 9:00pm, 9/20/08)
Panelists: Ajamu Baraka, Dr. Herschelle Challenor, Itonde Kakoma, Derreck Kayongo, Jesse Lanier, and Janvieve Williams (moderator: Richard Campbell)
“This is My Africa”
(Saturday at 9:45pm, 9/20/08)
Director: Zina Saro-Wiwa
Country Focus: Burkino Faso, Benin, Nigeria, Morocco
This documentary takes you on a journey through the Africa on the hearts and minds of many, offering you an opportunity to see the side of Africa that is often ignored. Through interviews with well-known artists, political figures, and broadcasters, learn and celebrate the beauty of African culture. Explore their perceptions and memories of Africa, as they describe the contemporary and traditional art, languages, music, literature, film, food and unique mannerisms. (Atlanta premiere) 2008 Best Documentary Short Award
For all other inquiries regarding festival screenings and/or schedule, call (678)687-9149.
