FADA Film Screens Miners Shot Down

FADAFilm Screens Miners Shot Down

Venue: FADA Auditorium
             FADA, Bunting Road Campus.

Date: Thursday 9 June

Time: 18:00 for 18:30

A film that will challenge all your ideas about what happened at Marikana [in August 2012]. Bold and well told. Margaret Renn Taco Kuiper Visiting Fellow in Investigative Journalism, University of the Witwatersrand

Miners Shot Down – A Filmby Rehad Desai

Miners Shut Down” is the most upsetting, unsettling and important film I have worked with for a long time. Never pathetic, Rehad Desai’s documentary left me in tears. Mette Hoffman  Commissioning Editor DRTV Denmark  

Engrossing. Moving. Angering. A must see. Mike van Graan leading South African playwright and former GS of Arterial Network 

Synopsis 1

In August 2012, mineworkers in one of South Africa’s biggest platinum mines began a wildcat strike for better wages. Six days later, the police used live ammunition to brutally suppress the strike, killing 34 and injuring many more. Using the POV of the Marikana miners, Miners Shot Down, follows the strike from day one, showing the courageous but isolated fight waged by a group of low paid workers against the combined forces of the mining company, Lonmin, the ANC government and their allies in the National Union of Mineworkers. What emerges is collusion at the top, spiraling violence and the country’s first post-apartheid massacre. South Africa will never be the same again.

Miners Shot Down will go places and will be referenced to " Salt of the Earth" of Herbert Bieberman (1954) and "Harlan County USA" of Barbara Kopple(1976). It has been a very long time since we have been exposed to a miners strike story told like this. Pedro Pimento, Former Director of the National Institute for Cinema, Mozambique.

After watching MINERS SHOT DOWN, a film that exposes via explicit video footage how police killed Marikana mine workers, I'm shocked that the South African government is still wasting tax money on a commission to prove who is guilty for the death of 34 miners. It is a no brainer. The police need to be jailed for murder. Yazeed Kamaldien, Freelance journalist

Director/Producer:
Rehad DesaiPhotography:
Nic Hofmeyr, Shadley Lombaard & Jonathan KovelSound RecordistPresident KapaEditors:Menno Boerema, Ruben van der HammenKerryn Assaizky, Megan Gill & Steen JohannessenOriginal Music:Philip MillerConsulting Producers:Brian Tilley, Bheki Peterson & Helle FaberProducers & Script:Anita Khanna & Rehad Desai

Awards:

• The VACLAV HAVEL Jury Award, 2014. One World Human Rights Film Festival.
• CAMERA JUSTITIA Jury Award, 2014. Movies that Matter, Human Rights Film Festival.
• AUNG SAN SUU KYI Jury Award, 2014. Myanmar International Award
• Special Choice Award, Encounters South Africa, 2014 International Documentary Film Festival.
• Human Rights Jury Award, 2014. Amnesty International - Diff.
• Jury Award for Best South African Documentary, 2014. Durban International Film Festival.

Was excellent. Genuinely one of those films every South African should see. Kevin Kriedemann, leading arts journalist and publicist

It is incredibly powerful and truly shocking. The footage of what is a cold blooded massacre is astonishing. What is really remarkable is that the film shows the whole incident from literally all sides. The forensic care with which both the immediate circumstances and the overall political context are explained make riveting viewing. It is impossible not to be both appalled and deeply moved by not only the human injustice but also the political tragedy which Marikana represents. It is an extremely important document not simply to understand the specifics of this incident but also to understand the profound challenges for South Africa. It is essential viewing. It is impossible to watch without feeling a profound sense of outrage. Lee Hall screenwriter Inter Alia of Billy Elliot

Synopsis 2

In August 2012, mineworkers in one of South Africa’s biggest platinum mines began a wildcat strike for better wages. Six days into the strike, the police used live ammunition to brutally suppress the strike, killing 34 and injuring many more. The police insisted that they shot in self- defense. Miners Shot Down tells a different story, one that unfolds in real time over seven days, like a ticking time bomb. 

The film weaves together the central point-of-view of three strike leaders, Mambush, Tholakele and Mzoxolo, with compelling police footage, TV archive and interviews with lawyers representing the miners in the ensuing commission of inquiry into the massacre. What emerges is a tragedy that arises out of the deep fault lines in South Africa’s nascent democracy, of enduring poverty and a twenty year old, unfulfilled promise of a better life for all. A campaigning film, beautifully shot, sensitively told, with a haunting soundtrack, Miners Shot Down reveals how far the African National Congress has strayed from its progressive liberationist roots and leaves audiences with an uncomfortable view of those that profit from minerals in the global South.

Well done to Rehad Desaiand all who worked on Miners Shot Down is a very strong and important film on a crucial issue. It must be widely seen in South Africa and across the world. Steven Markovitz, South African documentary and fiction film producer at Big World Cinema and co-founder of Encounters Documentary Film Festival .

This is a detailed, compelling, important and necessary film. A immensely powerful and tragic indictment of the ANC leadership, SA police and British mining firm, Lonmin. But as well as being a devastating exposé of the wholesale slaughter of scores of men it is a very moving celebration of the Marikana mineworkers, their dignity and their struggle in their search for a living wage. Beeban Kidron UK Filmmaker, also a Baroness for her work on building a youth Film Club network. 

About the Producer/Director

Rehad Desai is one of South Africa’s best-known documentary filmmakers and the CEO of a Uhuru Productions. A former political exile, Rehad worked as a trade union organiser and as a Director of a HIV prevention NGO before entering the film and television industry as a current affairs journalist. He has a Masters in Social History and post-graduate degree in TV and film producing (AVEA) and a  post-graduate diploma in documentary (Eurodoc). Rehad has directed over twenty documentaries, many of which have seen international broadcast and been accepted into numerous festivals, receiving critical acclaim. His current project, Miners Shot Down, is a synthesis of Rehad’s skills as a filmmaker and experience as an activist.

In 2000 he completed a post-graduate degree in TV and film producing through AVEA. In 2009 he completed a post-graduate diploma in documentary through Eurodoc. He has produced over 20 documentaries, many directed by himself that have been broadcast internationally, accepted into numerous festivals and been received with critical acclaim.

Filmography (Selected work)

Rehad Desai completed a history degree at the University of Zimbabwe where he lived for three years. In 1996 Rehad entered the TV and film industry as a Producer/Director and has since focused much of his energy on documentary productions, much of which has received critical acclaim . In 1997 he completed his Masters Degree in Social History at the University of the Witwatersrand. In 2000 he completed a postgraduate degree in TV and film producing through AVEA, in 2009 he completed a course in European Documentary Production through Eurodoc. He currently runs Uhuru Productions a film and TV company producing documentary and drama work and is the Festival Director of the Tri Continental Film Festival for the last 10 years and the Conference Director of the People to People International Documentary Conference

2010

Battle for Johannesburg - 72 min

Producer/Director

The Battle for Johannesburg captures the changing face of a city that’s preparing to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It’s a tale of property developers vying for sections of the crumbling city with renewed excitement, of a city council determined to create a world class city and ultimately of how this affects the hundreds of thousands of people who have made the city slums their home. SABC Ikon,Press TV, NHK, DR TV, YLE, NFVF, GFC, Urban Landmark. 

2008

The Choir,  54 – 76min 

Co Producer

Shot over four years, THE CHOIR is the story of Jabulani Shabangu and a group of fellow inmates who are battling to survive in Leeukwop Prison-- South Africa's largest prison.

• Grand Prize at the Geneva Human Rights Awards,
• Best Music Doc at Big Sky
• Best Documentary direction at the the Australian Film Institute Award

2007

Bhambatha: War of the Heads 1906 - 72 min.

Producer/Director

Historical drama with documentary elements.

The story of the Bhambatha rebellion is one of resistance, heroism and ultimately of violent colonial conquest.  Unearthing the dramatic events surrounding the 1906 revolt in the colony of Natal exposes the spirits of our forefathers  whom, faced with escalating levels of oppression at the turn of the century, organised a formidable fight back. SABC/NFVF/Uhuru co- production.

2006

Bushmans Secret - 52 and 65 min.

Producer/ Director.

A documentary that looks at the exploitation of the intellectual property rights of the San Tribe in South Africa by the multinational Unilever, the concessions gained and the consequences thereof. Supported by YLE Finland, SBS Australia, Ikon Holland, ZDF-Arte Germany, RBTF Belgium, SABC2 South Africa, Media International Corp Japan, Television Espanola Spain,  NFVF South Africa, EED Germany, CWCI (European Union) and HIVOS. 

Zanzibar Film Festival, Silver Dhow , 2007

Amazonas Film Festival, Brazil – Jury Prize, Best Documentary, 2007

2004

Born into Struggle –52 and 74 min

Producer/Director

A personal documentary about the filmmaker’s relationship to his well-known father, a leader in the South African liberation movement, set against the backdrop of the struggle for South Africa and the transition to democracy.  Uhuru Productions , YLE 2, SBS Australia, TV2 Denmark,  RBTF Belgium, SABC1,  Jan Vrijman Fund, Africalia, NFVF, European Union CWCI, Fond Image Afrique, Mott Foundation 

• Encounters Documentary Film Festival 2004. Best South African documentary Audience Award
• Apollo Film Festival South Africa 2004 - Jury Winner 
• World Cinema Festival Cape Town 2004 – Jury Winner  
• Cannes Film Festival – official selection 2005
• Durban Int. Film Festival Special Mention 2005

 The revelations of what we thought happened in Marikana and what actually happened, shown to us in this documentary was eye opening, in particular the viciousness of the State. The detailed look at the Marikana Massacre provided by ‘Miners Shot Down’ has prompted Numsa, that has a duty and responsibility to always take side of the working class and the poor, to a take a revolutionary stand against such repression. We can never allow this to happen again. As Comrade Nelson Mandela warned us, “Power corrupts, corrupts, and corrupts absolutely”. There is no basis for such an action by a democratic government, elected by the people for the people. The Freedom Charter rightly says, “no government can justly claim authority unless it is based on the will of all the people”. It does not say ‘based on the will of the bosses’. What Miners Shot Down revealed was that the Marikana Massacre was result of the will of the bosses and how in the capitalist system, the dominant class in society reproduces itself in the state, so that the state becomes an organ of oppression. It doesn’t matter who voted the government into power, once it is crunch time, the state takes side and when upholding capitalism, it is the side of the bosses. Miners Shot Down make it clear that it is time for answers and it is time for action, if this is to not be repeated again.Irvin Jim, General Secretary of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa

FADA FILM Screens Gog'Helen

Title:                   Gog'Helen

Director:             Adze Ugah

Date:                   Thursday 28 April

Time:                   17:30 -18:00

Venue:                 FADA Auditorium

Gog' Helen  fan page. Facebook.com

Genre: A Satirical Action Comedy

Short Description

Gogo’s mattress is missing. Someone’s gonna die….

Longer Description

Gog’Helen lives in South African shackland. When her mother buys her a new mattress, she throws away the old one. But Agnes doesn’t know that her grandmother keeps her money inside it.

Plot Outline

Gog’ Helen lives a forgotten life in a shantytown until she and her only relative, her beautiful granddaughter Agnes, become sucked into a life-and-death race against time as they try to get Gogo’s life savings back while outrunning vicious criminals involved in prostitution rings. The events are sparked off when the unsuspecting Agnes, in a gesture of goodwill, buys Gogo a new mattress but also throws away the old one without Gogo’s knowledge. What Agnes doesn’t know is that inside the mattress is her grandmother’s life savings! So when Gogo returns home, the joy of seeing her granddaughter is quickly replaced by the agony of losing all her life savings.

The two rush to retrieve the mattress, only to discover that it is already on its way for recycling. Gog’ Helen and Agnes go in hot pursuit of the mattress … but meantime Agnes’ employers, a gang of ruthless prostitution racketeers, who are none too pleased that their cash cow is not making money for them, descend on the quiet informal community.

About the film

Gog’Helen is a truly South African action comedy, telling a wacky tale of Gog’Helen, a seemingly typical  township Gogo who is not afraid of anyone. The 80-minute feature film chronicles a shack-dwelling granny and her prostitute granddaughter played by Lillian Dube and Kagiso Rakosa who go gangster in an attempt to retrieve the old lady’s life savings that have been mistakenly thrown away. It tells of a race against time to retrieve the money, handle her granddaughter’s ‘employers’ get life back to tranquil normality.

Gog’Helen debuted in 2012 at the Durban International Film Festival and was selected to be in competition. The film was one of only three South African films selected for a special screening at the the 2012 London Olympics by the National Film and Video Foundation.  In February 2013 it was selected in the official programme at the Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles and recently was selected for competition in the Zanzibar International Film Festival.

This refreshing script and high quality production is not only a hit at international festivals but is already a hit at local screenings. In producing a local story, the production team wanted to ensure that a wide range of local audiences were exposed to Gog’Helen. An innovative distribution plan is to showcase the movie in township theatres and independent movie houses. The film will also be travelling to neighboring countries where audiences can relate to it.

This zany action comedy, set in present-day Johannesburg, stars some of South Africa’s most well loved stars.  And for a number of these stars, this is their big-screen debut: Lillian Dube, Kagiso Rakosa, Jet Novuka, Andile Mxakaza, Bongani Maseko, Bubu Mazibuko, Motlatsi Mafashe, Winnie Modise, Kagiso Modupi, Ishmael Mpeo, Sophie Ndaba, Maurice Paige and Patrick Shai. All are known to soap lovers, whether you are a fan of Generations, Isidingo, Zone 14, Muvhango or Scandal.

About the Director: Adze Ugah

Adze Ugah was educated in Nigeria at the National Film Institute, Jos and graduated with a distinction in Motion Picture Production. In 2001 he wrote, produced and directed his first video feature, VIYA, which earned him a Nigerian National Film and Video Censors Board award. He later attended the South African School of Motion Picture Medium and Live Performance (AFDA) and majored in Motion Picture Directing and Scriptwriting. He currently lives in Gauteng where he works on television dramas for South African Television. Adze Ugah is a AFDA Almnus - follow link for more information about this director.

Production Information.

A feature film that was shot in Dec 2011 in South Africa, by a local production company - Goliath Productions. Adze Ugah, writer and director, brings a whole new view on what happens when the most vulnerable of society have had enough!!

Goliath Productions presents Gog’ Helen supported by Gauteng Film Commission, a film by Adze Ugah.

Actors.

With Lillian Dube, Kagiso Rakosa, Jet Novuka, Andile Mxakaza, Bongani Maseko, Bubu Mazibuko, Motlatsi Mafatshe, Winnie Modise, Kagiso Modupe, Ishmael Mpeoa, Sophie Ndaba, Nandi Nyembe, Maurice Paige , Patrick Shai, Tebogo Selebogo

Production Team:

Cinematography: Jonathan de la Querra,

1st Assistant Director: Chris Van Latum,

Senior Editor: Tracy Clayton,

Final Sound Design: The Refinery,

Location Sound: Joel Kapend’a Kapend,

Production Design: Vivienne Mahloko,

Wardrobe & Make-Up: Rosina Olifant

Produced by Cati Weinek, Dumi Gumbi, Kethiwe Ngcobo

Co Produced by Adze Ugah and Themba Duncan Rikhotso Executive Producers: Dr. Sivi Gounden and Vanessa Gounden,

Written and directed by Adze Ugah

Screenings and competition info.

Gog'Helen went to the Durban film festival, nominated for best film. It went to the Pan African film festival, the London Olympics.