“How can we forget when even our love songs are twined in death?” - Mongane Wally Serote
Afghan Star
Antonia
Favela on Blast
Fezeka’s Voice
Soul Power
The Silver Fez
Afghan Star United Kingdom/Afghanistan, 2008, 87min, English Subtitles
Director: Havana Marking www.afghanstardocumentary.com
After 30 years of Taliban and wartime rule, pop culture is re-emerging in Afghanistan. In Afghan Star, a local version of the global Idols phenomenon, 2,000 contestants compete for a chance to be the next Afghan pop icon. Three of them are women.
The film follows four contestants as the show becomes a national pastime. More than a third of the country are hooked and vote for their favourite contestant via sms. For many this represents their first encounter with the democratic process. However the impact of years of ethnic divisions, religious fundamentalism and institutionalised misogyny begin to affect the series and threaten the safety of the contestants.
Courtesy of the Director
Awards
Sundance Film Festival 2008 – World Cinema Audience Award: Documentary
Sundance Film Festival 2008 – World Cinema Directing Award: Documentary
Antonia Brazil, 2006, 90min, English Subtitles
Director: Tata Amaral antoniaofilme.globo.com
On the outskirts of São Paulo, the largest city in South America, four women have been singing together since youth, fighting to fulfil their dream of making a living off their music. They form the rap group Antonia, find a manager, and become a hit performing in bars and at parties. But just as the dream seems to be coming true, their hopes are shattered by the daily events which accompany poverty, prejudice and violence.
Shot on location in houses, upper-story cement slabs and precariously illuminated streets in Vila Brasilandia, a suburb with a population of 280 thousand on the outskirts of São Paulo, this film features a strong cast of major Brazilian hip-hop stars and young local talents. Courtesy of the Director
Favela on Blast African Premiere Brazil, 2009, 81min, English Subtitles
Directors: Leandro Hbl and Wesley Pentz
Graphic sexuality, big beat rhythms and Do-It-Yourself reworking of popular technologies define the “funk” phenomenon that has revolutionised youth culture in South American favelas. Funk messiahs believe the subculture provides youth a necessary outlet for free expression and an alternative to crime, gangsterism and prostitution.
This no-holds barred homage offers a perspective on the City of God and other favela’s rarely seen; a ground up portrait that defies expectations. Courtesy of the Directors
Fezeka’s Voice World Premiere SA, 2009, 75 min, English Subtitles
Director: Holly Lubbock www.fezeka.com
The members of the Fezeka High School Choir are typical adolescents with starry aspirations, dynamic energy and a healthy measure of teenage angst. The award winning national champions are however, learners at a school situated in one of the most deprived areas in South Africa. The township of Gugulethu suffers many of the pathologies created by poverty; dysfunctions the teens consider normal.
Choir master Phume Tsewu is however determined to uplift his wards by imbuing them with confidence, self belief and an unwavering faith in their own futures. His efforts are rewarded when the choir is invited to perform in England as part of the Salisbury International Arts Festival.
The film follows the group as they embark on a journey of a lifetime, a journey Phume believes will provide the kids with a deeper understanding of their worth. Courtesy of the Director
Over thirty years in the making this film documents “Zaire ‘74”, the music festival that accompanied the legendary fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman (aka the Rumble in the Jungle) held in Kinshasa in 1974. The festival line-up included James Brown, BB King, Miriam Makeba, Afrisa, Bill Withers and the Spinners along with other prominent American, African and Latin American performers.
The film weaves together previously unseen footage of the event to follow visiting artists, inspired by the civil rights and Black Consciousness movements, on their first encounter with a liberated African country; Mobutu Sese Seko’s Zaire. Thirty years later, the optimism and joy of the visitors is offset by a historical dimension which lends the film a depth and resonance beyond its obvious nostalgia. Courtesy of Celluloid Dreams
Awards
Los Angeles Film Festival 2008- Audience Award for Best documentary Feature
Silverdocs 2009- Special Jury Mention
The Silver Fez South Africa, 2009, 83min, Afrikaans/ English Subtitles
Director: Lloyd Ross
This deftly structured documentary tells the tale of Kaatji Davids, a house painter with no money but big dreams. Located in the dynamic world of Cape Malay music, the film follows Kaatji as he attempts to get a choir together to compete for The Silver Fez, a trophy considered sacred to some.
Hadji Bucks is the undisputed champion of the tournament and has the resources to buy the best in the game out from under the noses of his opponents. Kaatji is determined to beat him and prove that there are some things money can’t buy.
The competition involves a cast of thousands and a staggering array of skills, the most sacred of which is the singing of an ancient music that came to the Cape on slave ships. Courtesy of the Director
Awards
Durban International Film Festival 2009- Best South African Documentary
Afghan Star
Antonia
Soul Power