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Films on at
Iziko
South African Museum (TH Barry Lecture Theatre)
Download:
Freedom Project Film Programme
[PDF]
“STRANGE FRUIT” (DVD – 57 min)
Joel Katz’s compelling history of this anti-lynching song explores
the alliance between American Jews and African-Americans in the
struggle for civil rights. The film includes footage of Billie
Holiday, Amiri and Amina Baraka, Abbey Lincoln, Pete Seeger, and
Cassandra Wilson.
“BROWN” by Ernestine Deane and
Kali van der Merwe (DVD 54 min)
As she embraces motherhood, Capetonian singer/songwriter Ernestine
Deane embarks on an enquiry into her heritage. In the 1960s under the
infamous Group Areas Act, her Grandparents were evicted from their
functioning farm in Constantia, and relocated to the urban suburb of
Grassy Park. Integrally wedded to the land, her grandfather continues
to yearn for the tract that remains fallow and unused in one of the
most exclusive suburbs of Cape Town. Their return visit unleashes the
suppressed emotion resulting from years of marginalisation and loss.
This touching and deeply personal journey investigates the past with
the intention of celebrating a new community, new nation, and new
family. By exploring her past and her present, it carries Ernestine
from emotional remembrance to musical realisation and celebration,
culminating in the song, Brown. The film-maker, Ernestine Deane will
be present to introduce the film.
“A SHADOW OF HOPE” by Makela L Pululu (24 Min)
A Shadow of Hope is a story about refugees who are living in South
Africa where they are faced with different challenges from the South
African Black community. It is about how the locals receive them into
their communities whether they are liked or not. The film explores how
the South African government within the Home Affairs department is
trying to put systems into place to minimize discrimination and
xenophobia in South Africa. This film documentary reflects the real
experiences of today’s refugees in South Africa.
The film-maker, Makela L Pululu, will be present to introduce the
film and a discussion will follow the screening.
“BORN INTO STRUGGLE” by Rehad Desai – South Africa (74
min)
Filmmaker Rehad Desai takes us on an intimate journey mapped out by
the scars etched into his family’s life from having a father who was
intensely involved in politics. Barney Desai was a political hero
during South Africa’s struggle, yet as a father he was damagingly
absent emotionally. Rehad spent most of his young life in exile and
became politically active himself. On this intensely personal journey
into his past, Rehad realizes he may be following in his father’s
footsteps as he reviews his relationship with his own estranged
teenage son.
“THE MARCH” (30 min)
The film shows original footage of the march on August 31, 1963 in
Washington DC, involving hundreds of thousands of civil rights
marchers who gathered on the Mall near the Lincoln Memorial. Martin
Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech was the emotional high point of
the day.
“A HISTORY OF US” (30 min)
Episode 6: A War to End Slavery -- Heroic soldiers in blue and grey
endure the bloodiest battles ever fought on American soil, as the
country fights a civil war over the union and slavery’s place in it.
“LYDIA WILLIAMS – A FERVENT SIMPLICITY” (30 min)
“This film pays homage to Lydia Williams, an extraordinary woman
born a slave, but who died a free woman in Cape Town. The film
provides insight into the daily life of the thousands of slaves who
formed the economic backbone of the Cape Colony, taking us beyond the
amnesia that shrouds an important part of South Africa's history” (SACOD
Film catalogue).
“A SHADOW OF HOPE” by Makela L Pululu (24 Min)
A Shadow of Hope is a story about refugees who are living in South
Africa where they are faced with different challenges from the South
African Black community. It is about how the locals receive them into
their communities whether they are liked or not. The film explores how
the South African government within the Home Affairs department is
trying to put systems into place to minimize discrimination and
xenophobia in South Africa. This film documentary reflects the real
experiences of today’s refugees in South Africa.
Please note that
this movie is slightly longer and will be screened beyond the
lunch-hour.
“SANKOFA” by Haile Gerima
Sankofa is an Akan word that means, "We must go back and reclaim our
past so we can move forward; so we understand why and how we came to
be who we are today." Mona, a contemporary model, is possessed by
spirits lingering in the Cape Coast Castle in Ghana and travels to the
past, where, as a house servant called Shola she is constantly abused
by the slave master. Nunu, an African-born field hand, and Shango,
Sholas West Indian Lover, continuously rebel against the slave system.
For Nunu this means direct conflict with her son, a mulatto benefiting
from the system as a head slave. Inspired by Nunu and Shangos
determination to defy the system, Shola finally takes her fate into
her own hands.” (http://www.sankofastore.com).
“AMERICA BEYOND THE COLOR LINE”: (55 min)
One hundred years ago, the celebrated African American
intellectual, W.E.B. Du Bois famously identified the problem of the
20th century as “the problem of the color line.” America has come a
long way since Du Bois made his prophecy, and the politics of race
have undergone a dramatic change. So – a century later – what are the
new challenges faced by black Americans?
Films are screened courtesy of Ernestine
Deane, Kali van der Merwe, Makela L Pululu, Zivia Desai, Michael
Wheeder, the District Six Museum, and the American Library, United
States Consulate in Cape Town.
For information about the
Freedom Project, email Vivienne
Carelse at
publicprogs@iziko.org.za
or Tel. 021 481 3814.
To RSVP the lecture, or for press accreditation, email Wandile
Kasibe at
wkasibe@iziko.org.za
or Tel. 021 481 3804.
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