AWDFF GHANA 2018 – SCHEDULE of VIEWING FREE Monday February 19th (5.00 - 8.30pm) 5pm – 6.20pm Colours of the Alphabet (80m, United Kingdom/Zambia) Directed by: Alastair Cole - COLOURS OF THE ALPHABET tells the story of three children and their families over two school terms, and asks the question: does the future have to be in English? The official language in Zambia is English, but there are seven national languages and 72 ethnic languages spoken in the country. How does anyone communicate in this living Tower of Babel? This lyrical and beautifully-filmed documentary is an eye-opening tale of the relationship between children and language from those first apprehensive days at school to the playground excitement at the end of term. 6.30pm – 7.40pm BURKINABE RISING: The Art of Resistance in Burkina Faso (72m, Bulgaria/Burkina Faso) Directed by: Lara Lee - A small landlocked country in West Africa, Burkina Faso is home to a vibrant community of artists, musicians, engaged citizens who carry on the revolutionary spirit of Thomas Sankara, killed in a coup d'état led by his best friend and advisor Blaise. 7.45pm – 8.30pm The Voice of the Kora (45m, USA) Directed by: Claudine Pommier - The kora is a harp-lute originating in West Africa. Traditionally it is played by the “Griots”, who have been for centuries, from father to son, storytellers, diplomats, advisers, keepers of memories, poets. The Griot talks and sings while playing a very elaborate music that gets enriched from generation to generation. Tuesday February 20th (5.00 - 8.30pm) 5.00pm – 5.40pm Rastas' Journey 'Home' (40m, Indonesia, Australia) Directed by: Maria Stratford Reggae music often refers to the greatness of Africa and the desire of members of the Rastafari movement to return to the land of their ancestors. But how many Rastas make the journey 'home' and how successful is the act of ‘repatriation’? Rastas' Journey 'Home' is a documentary that explores the process of returning to one's roots and through interviews with members of the Rasta community reveals the conflicted emotions that they experience in their new homeland of Ethiopia 5.50pm – 6.50pm Two Zions: The Living Legacy of the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon (58m, USA) Directed by: Cheryl Halpern - Two Zions' focuses on the Zions of Jerusalem, Israel and Axum, Ethiopia. It describes the relationship between King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba that has connected two peoples and cultures through their religious observances from approximately 950 BC till today. 7.00pm – 8.30pm. Hypen-nation (14m, Canada ) Directed by: Samah Ali - A conversation with five women, "hyphen-nation" looks at what it means to be a black woman in Canada after growing up in a culturally-steeped home, both domestically and internationally, and how it influences one’s identity. Mother's Fears (16m USA) Directed by Shereen Williams - It is 10pm and flashing red and blue lights surround my car. Bright flashlights are beaming in my eyes. The officer shouts “Roll all the windows down…now. License and registration out the window.” I IMMEDIATELY roll every window in the car down and give him the requested information. Thoughts are racing through my head- What did I do?, Did I run the stop sign? Fear is gripping my body as I clench the steering wheel. The officer says “All clear. Ma’am, slow down”. I survived this time, but would my son? The Sara Spencer Washington Story (28m, USA) Directed By Royston Scott - Recall the life of a young black woman who became a phenomenal success selling her line of hair products door to door in 1920's Atlantic City, New Jersey. A business that lasted through The Great Depression. A business that became a million-dollar empire. A business that gave tens of thousands of black women the opportunity to become self-sufficient. She called the business Apex, and they called her Madame Sara Spencer Washington. Lost Crops (15m, USA) Directed by: Christopher Jenkins - A doctor in search of undervalued natural resources considered 'lost crops' teams up with an experienced botanist and humanitarian for an international journey of discovery. Green: At What Price? (19m, United Kingdom) Directed by: Nicky Milne - Reforestation, environmental development, growth in the developing world: when does a green economy come at too high a price? Wednesday February 21st (5.00 - 8.30pm) 5.00-6.10pm The African Who Wanted to Fly (70m, Gabon, China) Directed by: Samantha Biffot - 1979. Gabon, Central Africa. Luc, a 9 year-old boy sees for the first time a Kung Fu movie and it's a revelation: Chinese can fly. It becomes Luc's obsession to fly like them. Luc has now been living for 31 years in China, mastering wushu, and acting in Kung fu movies. 6.15- 7.15pm Children of Drum: The Legacy of Black Journalists in South Africa under Apartheid (59m, USA, South Africa) Directed by: Larry Tung Children of Drum traces developments in South African journalism from the 1950s when Drum magazine covered the struggle against the racist Apartheid regime, to the political changes since then that have affected the current state of journalism in South Africa. 7.20 – 8.30pm The Good Ones (25m, South Africa) Directed by: Molly Blank - While sharing the challenges of South Africa’s unequal and broken education system, some schools are beating the odds. The Good Ones tracks the tenacious efforts of three of these public schools to change the trajectory of their students’ futures. Their lessons illuminate how schools can empower students, transform their futures and enable them to find their place in the outside world. Jackenson (25m, Haiti, Niger) Directed by: Linda Diatta - Jackenson is a 13-year-old boxing hopeful from Haiti’s notorious Cité Soleil slum who is determined to box his way to the top. As he prepares for his upcoming fight against a rival club, he must surpass all expectations from his coaches, club and community. Herensia Africana -- African Heritage (11m, Spain) Directed by: Clement Esso - An insight into the Afro-Spanish population and exploring African heritage in Barcelona, Spain Thursday February 22nd (5.00 - 8.30pm) 5.00 – 6.00pm Desert Wounds (58m, Israel) Directed by: Nili Dotan The film tells the story of Christian African Women from Sudan and Eritrea, who fled persecution at the hand of Muslims in their countries and are seeking asylum in Israel. The film follows their attempt to build a new life over a period of 5 years – in Israel and Uganda – while living under constant threat of deportation. They know that their journey is far from being over. 6.10 – 7.50pm When Paul Came Over the Sea (97m, Germany) Directed by: Jakob Preuss - Paul has made his way from his home in Cameroon across the Sahara to the Moroccan coast where he now lives in a forest waiting for the right moment to cross the Mediterranean. This is where he meets Jakob, a filmmaker from Berlin, who is filming along Europe's borders. Soon afterwards, Paul manages to cross over to Spain on a rubber boat. He survives - but half of his companions die on this tragic 50 hour odyssey. Held for two months in a deportation centre, upon his release Paul meets Jakob again at a shelter for migrants in Southern Spain. When Paul decides to continue on to Germany, Jakob has to make a choice: will he become an active part of Paul's pursuit of a better life or remain a detached documentary filmmaker? Friday February 23rd (5.00 - 8.30pm) 5.00 – 6.30pm The Other Side of the Atlantic (90m, Brazil) Directed by: Marcio Camara - The Other Side of the Atlantic is a documentary that builds a bridge in the ocean that separates Brazil and Africa. The film tackles the cultural exchanges, the imaginary created through the mirroring, the prejudice and dreams built in both sides of the Atlantic through the life stories of the students of African countries in transit through Brazil. 6.40 – 7.40pm Counter Histories: Rock Hill (56m, USA) Directed by: Frederick Taylor - Nine young black men exercise their power to change history. It’s 1961 and the Civil Rights movement is stalled with protest after protest arrest after arrest, bailout after bailout and then return to life as usual in the segregated South. Students at a small local Baptist College in Rock Hill, SC decide to sit in at their local lunch counter, get arrested, go to jail and stay there. It’s a test case that brings the national attention the movement seeks and changes the strategy of the movement. A little known story in a well chronicled history, Counter Histories: Rock Hill breaks with documentary conventions to connect with a new audience and tie the historical movement to present day struggles.