……BY BILLY SUTER……
SEVERAL films in the upcoming 25th Encounters SA International Documentary Film Festival will offer captivating explorations of the human condition in Africa from deep within, and with collaborative respect from without.
This festival, sadly skipping Durban but to be presented at cinemas in Cape Town and Johannesburg, runs from June 22 until July 2.
Also among films to be shown this year, which include 35 features and 19 shorts, are 13 international films, among them an 88-minute documentary that is a must for fans of theatre and movie musicals.
It is Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen, directed by Daniel Raim, narrated by Jeff Goldblum and the winner of a number of prizes from other festivals.
Scheduled for screenings at 4pm on June 25 (Johannesburg) and 3pm on July 3 (Cape Town), this is a captivating and loving chronicle of celebrated director Norman Jewison’s spiritual and creative quest to adapt the Broadway hit, Fiddler on the Roof, for the big screen.
Filmmaker Daniel Raim draws on behind-scenes footage and original interviews with Jewison, lyricist Sheldon Harnick and other members of the cast and crew.
The documentary reveals how the experience of making the movie and recreating the lost world of Jewish life in Tsarist Russia deepened Jewison as an artist and rejuvenated Jewison’s soul and artistic vision.
In providing the backstory for the cinematic version of Fiddler of the Roof, the documentary also functions as a fascinating snapshot of working life in 1970s Hollywood.
John Williams, who adapted the film’s score and also wrote new music for it, notes in an interview that Jewison had a fantastic sense of rhythm, musically, and started out staging satirical musical revues during his student years in Toronto.
This sense of musicality helped enormously with his vision for the Oscar-winning Fiddler on the Roof, which, we learn in this documentary, had the likes of Danny Kaye and Frank Sinatra showing interest in the role of milkman Tevye, which went to Topol, who had played the role in the London West End production of the musical.
The documentary covers some interesting trivia involving the use of silk stockings over camera lenses to create a specific look, and also goes into detail about getting master violinist Isaac Stern to record the opening scene’s fiddle-playing… and Golda Meir, former prime minister of Israel, shedding a tear at a special screening. It’s well worth a view!
As for African films selected for the festival, many are co-productions between African and international filmmakers, providing authentic voices to the stories being told.
The international co-productions investigate gender-based violence in a small town, the beguiling and faceless workings of social media in heart of Africa, child soldiers and war crimes, social welfare grant experiments and multi-racial punk music of the ’80s apartheid era.
Dorpie, directed by Julia Jaki (SA/Germany), follows the journey of a community worker in the small town of Bredasdorp, where she establishes a safe house for victims of gender-based violence. The film explores the challenges she faces as she strives to protect girls and women and confront the deep-rooted structural inequalities that continue to hinder the most vulnerable in South African society
The compelling and comedic The Other Profile, directed by Armel Hostiou (France/DRC), follows Hostiou as he investigates a fake Facebook account using his name and photos to lure women in Kinshasa to audition for his next film. This is a unique and insightful perspective on identity, authenticity and the impact of social media on our lives.
Free Money, directed by Lauren De Filipppo and Sam Soko (US/Kenya) follows a basic income experiment in rural Kenya facilitated by Give Direct, examining the impact of providing a small grant to villagers but at the same time presents a complex human story that reflects on the role of wealth in our lives.
Dominic Ongwen, a former child soldier who became the first to be indicted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, is the subject of Theatre of Violence directed by Lukas Konopa and Emil Langbelle (Denmark/ Germany /Uganda), This movie offers a thought-provoking perspective on restorative justice and the effectiveness of the ICC.
The rise and fall of a multiracial punk band during the decline of apartheid is examined in This Is National Wake directed by Mirissa Neff (South Africa/US).
The festival feature films from Africa’s own perspective: we witness the remarkable journey of a pop star turned parliamentarian, the harrowing experiences of children affected by war, the challenges of securing food for families, the pursuit of economic independence, student life in central Africa amidst poverty and corruption, and the impact of corporate influence on farming.
We follow Ugandan pop star Bobi Wine – aka Robert Kyagulanyi – in his rise from the ghettos of Kampala to a seat in the Ugandan parliament in Bobi Wine: The People’s President, directed by Moses Bwayo and Christopher Sharp (Uganda/UK).
Current president Your Museveni, has no plans to resign after 30 years, and so Wine incurs the full-blown wrath of the Ugandan state. Fuelled by Wine’s infectious tunes, the film is both riveting and heartbreaking, echoing 2022’s Navalny in its portrait of a charismatic, popular and media-savvy opposition politician who takes on the leader a fascist state.
The anti-war film Le Spectre Of Boko Haram, directed by Cyrielle Raingou (Cameroon/France), captures children’s lives under constant threat of Boko Haram’s violence.
We, Students!, directed by Rafiki Farlila (CAR/France/DRC), portrays the harsh realities of university life in Central African Republic, where poverty and corruption run rampant
The Last Seed, directed by Andrea Gema (Germany/Senegal/Tanzania/SA), offers a compelling perspective on corporatised agriculture methods through the eyes of African farmers and environmental organisations.
South African filmmakers delve into a range of captivating subjects, including a meteorologist’s extraordinary love affair with an extra-terrestrial being, the transformative Square Kilometre Array project in the Karoo, the evolving landscape of post-apartheid Afrikaner culture through theatre, and the profound influence of communal support for mothers with new-borns.
For more details about the festival films and screening schedules, visit www.encounters.co.za
.....SoSuterBill..... 