Made in LA
African Premiere
USA, 2007, 70min, Spanish/English Subtitles
Director: Almudena Carracedo
www.madeinla.com

Made in LA is an Emmy award-winning documentary that follows the remarkable story of three Latina immigrants working in Los Angeles garment sweatshops as they embark on a three-year odyssey to win basic labour protections from a trendy clothing retailer.

Lupe, who learned survival skills at an early age, has been working in Los Angeles garment factories for over 15 years. Maura left her three children in the care of relatives while she sought work in L.A. to support them. She faced wretched conditions in the factories and an "undocumented" status that deprived her of seeing her children for over eighteen years. María left Mexico with hope for a better life at eighteen. Twenty three years later, substandard working conditions, a meagre salary and domestic abuse have left her struggling for her children's future and her own dignity.

These three women, along with other immigrant workers, come together at LA’s Garment Worker Centre to take a stand for their rights. Against all odds, these seemingly defenceless workers launch an inspiring public challenge to one of the city's flagship clothiers.
Courtesy of the Director

Awards

• Emmy Award 2008- Outstanding Achievement in Continuing Coverage of a News Story, Long Form.
• Henry Hampton Award for Excellence in Film and Digital Media, Council on Foundations, USA
• Valladolid International Film Festival, Spain- Special Mention of the Jury
• Voces contra el Silencio Film Festival, Mexico- SIGNIS Award
• National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP), USA- ESTELA Award
• Cuenca International Women Film Festival, Spain- Best Documentary
• Antlantidoc, Uruguay- Best Editing and Special Mention of the Jury
• San Joaquin International Film Festival- Spirit of Humanity Award
• Cine Sin Fin East LA Chicano Film Festival, USA- Corky Gonzales Righteousness Award

Orange Bombs
African Premiere
Iran, 2008, 19min, English Subtitles
Director: Majed Neisi
(Screens with Six Floors to Hell)

Orange farmers Habib and Zeinab, residents of Sofar in the South of Lebanon have been happily married for 40 years. This is no small feat as their life and love has survived the devastating effects of war and conflict. They married in 1967, the year in which the Six Day War occurred. They raised their children among the fighting factions. Many of their dearest personal memories are in some way connected to bombings and missile attacks.

The area in which the couple lives was severely affected during the 33 day war of 2006. They recently returned to find their beloved orange orchard strewn with cluster bombs - some of which didn't explode.

So far they have cleared away as many as 270 shells, and have learnt how to expertly disarm active bombs. It's a dangerous life but they have no choice; it’s harvest time and the fruit trees are their most precious possession.
Courtesy of Documentary and Experimental Film Centre

Six Floors to Hell

Jalal is a young man deeply in love and saving for his impending wedding day. In order to generate the income necessary to fund the ceremony and provide a suitable home for his bride he must become invisible.

One of hundreds of Palestinians who form part of Israel’s illegal workforce, Jalal lives literally underground. He spends his evenings with fellow countrymen in the sub-terrain of an unfinished shopping mall beneath Tel Aviv’s bustling Geha Junction. Here the men, six floors below ground, in darkness amidst rubble and filth, share their hopes, despondencies and meagre resources. Ghostly voices emerge from shadows, people joke and laugh, the sounds echo ominously through the strange underground world.

In the morning the men resurface to eke out a small but vital wage from the wealthy city from which they’re banned.
Courtesy of the Director

Awards

• Docaviv 2008- Best Editing Award
• PRIX-CMCA- Rai3 Prize
  

The Heart of Jenin
African Premiere
Germany, 2008, 98min, English Subtitles
Directors: Leon Geller and Marcus Venter
www.eikon-film.de

The film follows the tragic events of November 2005, when a 12 year old Palestinian boy, Ahmed Khatib, was shot by an Israeli soldier in the refugee camp Jenin. He was killed because the soldier mistook the plastic gun he was playing with for a real one.

Taken to an Israeli hospital, the boy had no chance of surviving injuries to his head and chest. His devastated parents were faced with the option of donating his organs so that others would have a chance at life.

The film traces the remarkable journey of Ahmed’s father Ismael Khatib as he creates a youth centre to protect and distract Jenin’s youth from the violence around them. He travels into Israel and the occupied territories to meet three of the five children of the “enemy” inside whom his son lives on. The Heart of Jenin is a rare portrait of humanity within conflict and proves that the sublime can stubbornly survive hate, war and suffering.
Courtesy of Eikon Films

Awards

• Cinema For Peace 2009 – Most valuable documentary of the year Award
• Dubai International Film Festival- Audience Award
• Valladolid International Film Festival – 1st Prize Time of History section
• Movies that Matter Film Festival Amnesty International Den Haag 2009- Audience Award

Wagah
Germany, 2009, 13min, English Subtitles
Director: Supriyo Sen
www.detailfilm.de
(screens with Tiger Spirit)

An incredible blend of spectacle, whimsy and satire, this award-winning short, describes the daily closing ceremony at the border crossing between India and Pakistan.

Thousands of people gather day after day to witness the ritual on their respective sides of the checkpoint. The dynamic ceremony features national performance, rousing patriotism and an opportunity for the populations separated by the partition to engage with each other. Despite this celebration of the divide, the filmmaker paints a portrait of a cleaved society hankering for reunion.
Courtesy of Detail Films

Awards

• Berlinale 2009- Berlin Today Award
• 25th International Short Film Festival Hamburg- Audience and Jury award
• Krakow International Film Festival- Special Jury Mention
• Festival Internationl de Cine de Huesca- Special Jury Mention
• Karlovy Vary International Film Festival- Best Documentary Award