Production
Democracy is arguably the greatest political buzzword of our time and is invoked by political leaders, corporations and citizens alike– but what does it mean? Can it be defined, measured, safeguarded? Can it be sold, bought, and transplanted? Can it grow? Can it die? What does it mean to people who can’t even talk about it? What does it mean to people who don’t believe in it? And what does it mean to you? In October 2007, ten one-hour films focused on contemporary democracy and its underlying values were broadcast in the world’s largest ever informational media event. More than 48 broadcasters on all continents participated, airing the films in over 181 countries.
Miriam Makeba was one of the first African musicians who won international stardom and whose music was always anchored in her traditional South African roots. Miriam Makeba was forced into exile in 1959. She sang for John F. Kennedy, performed with Harry Belafonte and Nina Simone, was married to Hugh Masekela and also Stokely Carmichael. Her life was tumultuous. She always stood for truth and justice. She fought for the oppressed most importantly for black Africans, as a campaigner against apartheid. She died November 2008 after a concert in Italy. Mika Kaurismäki's documentary, traces fifty years of her music and her performing life. Through rare archive footage of her performances and through interviews with her contemporaries we discover the remarkable journey of Miriam Makeba.
Mariam comes from Fana, a town nearby the Malian capital. At 5, she was sexually abused by a family acquaintance, raped by her cousin at 13 and by her brother-in-law at 16. Today, she deals with her traumas through dance.
For one week in Gaborone, Botswana, a collection of aspiring lawyers gathers for the annual African Human Rights Moot Court Competition. Competitors represent the top law schools from their respective nations as they debate a new issue each year. This time around, the focus is on the rights of refugees. Developing arguments that will be judged by practicing lawyers, the next generation discovers what policy should look like in the African continent and where advancements can be made across the region. While you may come for the competition in African Moot, you stay for the rising stars learning on the ground what it means to fight for their cause, country and continent as one.
Teboho Edkins and his father journey to Ethiopia, joining a community in mourning both his brother and victims of a plane crash.
A Western-like documentary set in a remote rural region in Lesotho: a frontier space where the ways of modern society are of little, if any, value. The arrival of economic migrants from China has irrevocably upset the balance of power, as old laws and ancient gods are doddering away. Subtle moments and small gestures reveal the trauma of expatriation, the burden of personal sacrifice, solitude and alienation, as well as the painful experience of otherness. As old structures begin to disintegrate and violence is about to erupt, one rule asserts itself above all others: eat or be eaten.
As a young man, director Ike Nnaebue left Nigeria intending to take the route via Benin, Mali, and Mauritania to Morocco - but he was forced to turn back earlier, and never made it to Europe. In his first documentary, No U-Turn, he retraces the life-changing journey he made over 20 years ago. Along the way, he meets those who are taking the same trip and, through conversations with them, tries to understand what motivates young people today to expose themselves to the dangers of a passage into an uncertain future. Most are aware of the dangers of traveling undocumented by road, yet more and more are joining the ranks of those who take this risk. Overlaid with a powerful poetic commentary and insight into the long-reaching impact of a colonial past, this self-reflective travelogue unpacks the deep longing of an entire generation in search of opportunities.
In the Lesotho highlands, a 15-year-old boy tends his family's flock of sheep alone through the winter. His younger brother might have to quit the village school to help him. And two girls attempt to maintain their unique friendship when one of them goes off to attend a better school and the other stays in the village. Over the span of two years the film accompanies four teenagers in an isolated mountain village on their path to adulthood - a path between individuation and tradition.
A rare look inside Indonesian Islamic boarding schools, showcasing a centuries-old educational system that fosters character, compassion, and respect in the face of rising extremism.
Many Zimbabweans have fled their economically stricken country, but they do send a lot of money home: in 2021 remittances totaled more than a billion dollars. One such migrant is Frank, who has emigrated to Cape Town. His brother Miles and sister Portia live in the UK, one in London, the other in Luton. His other sister still lives in Zimbabwe, but their mother MaMlilo thinks that she should also emigrate.
An in-depth look at the torture practices of the United States in Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, focusing on an innocent taxi driver in Afghanistan who was tortured and killed in 2002.
At Evergreen Primary School in Wuhan, China, a Grade 3 class learns what democracy is when an election for class monitor is being held. Three children are chosen by the teacher as candidates and they have a few days to campaign and convince their classmates to vote for them. The little candidates are seen at school and at home, where their parents do their best to make sure their child will win the election.
Documentary about Chinese higher education: the pressure to get into state-sponsored schools, and the marketing of private colleges that may not provide the education they promise.
A beach reminds us of Fati’s recent past. She came to Italy by sea, without papers, pregnant for the fifth time. Longing for her children, she returned to Ghana six months later – without her husband. The people around her can’t understand this decision. “You’ve created a mess,” a friend says. “How do I tell people?” a sister asks. But Fati wants to provide for her family, even though she still has to liberate three of her children from the custody of her in-laws.
Martha is the daughter-in-law of MD Raya. Her Husband is the first son of MD Raya's twelfth wife. When Adi, Martha's husband, was studying at the University in Malang, Martha worked for MD Raya while waiting for her husband to come home. In the meantime, MD Raya is waiting for Adi to graduate with hope that he can get back his family's pride that was lost since he's not the head of the village anymore.
Deep in Mali, on the edge of the Sahel Desert, lies the peaceful city of Gao—a quiet way station for passersby with their eyes set on Europe in hopes of opportunity, safety and a better future.
Thabo, Thabiso and Moalosi are young, attractive and deal openly with their HIV status. Nearly a third of the population in Lesotho is HIV positive.
Follows a young man as he travels the mountain kingdom of Lesotho showing his film in remote villages, schools and communities. Sheriff was born with a girl’s body, but as the grandmother in his film recounts, he refused to wear dresses and always wanted to play with the boys.
Akuol de Mabior is the daughter of a martyr of the revolution in South Sudan. As her mother is sworn in as vice president, the young woman tries to find out if this country torn by civil war can ever become her home.
