16-05-2020 GIEFF-Films
A Kali Temple Inside Out, In Search of Ram, Even When I Fall, The World Has Not Changed, Nollywood. Filmbusiness African Style Congo Calling, Spears From All Sides
Discussions online: morning, afternoon, evening
A Kali Temple Inside Out
Nepal, 2018, 83 min / Original languages: Hindi
Location: India
A Film by: Dipesh Kharel, Frode Storaas
Religious boundaries are not as sharp and antagonistic as the news lead us to believe. This film shows the everyday life inside and around a Kali temple in the city of Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. The temple building houses a Kali shrine and a smaller Hanuman shrine. Visitors present offerings to both. A closer portrait of a priest and three devotees reveals the importance of the temple. Yet, the protagonists occasionally also visit holy places of other religious traditions, whether to learn more or seek additional divine support. The film is thus a silent critique on the obsession with religious conflict in contemporary debates. “God is one, the religions are made by humans”, concludes the priest in the film.
See biography Dipesh Kharel and Frode Storaas
In Search of Ram
India, 2019, 105 min / Original languages: Hindi
Location: India
A Film by: Prabhash Chandra
The notion of Ram, the “supreme” Hindu god, and the Indian caste system are examined through three intersecting, non-linear narratives: a potter and his donkey, three close friends and the “lower caste” Ramnamis – a Dalit community based in Chhattisgarh. The film documents a subversive movement initiated by the Ramnamis against discrimination and caste-based hierarchies in Hindu religion. The portait of the potter questions the practice of idolatry and a singular mainstream notion of Ramayana iconizing Ram. The story of Indu, a social activist working with the homeless, Sahir a Muslim journalist and Savi, a Dalit painter and research scholar, shows how caste and religion affect personal lives and friendship.
See biography Prabhash Chandra
Discussion Saturday morning
Participants: Dipesh Kharel, Frode Storaas, Kathinka Frøystad, Prabhash Chandra
Moderation: Julia Koch, Reobert Scheck
Even When I Fall
Great Britain, , 90 min / Original languages: Nepali
Location: Nepal
A Film by: Sky Neal, Kate MacLarnon
Sheetal and Saraswoti met as teenagers in a Kathmandu refuge, both survivors of child trafficking to Indian circuses. They had been rescued and brought back across the border to Nepal, but what does the future hold for these young women returning to a home they barely remember? “Even When I Fall” traces their journey over 6 years, as they reclaim their skills as circus artists and begin to build a future against all odds. Along with 11 other young trafficking survivors, they create a new livelihood for themselves ¬– Circus Kathmandu, Nepal’s first and only circus. This intimate film harnesses the visual power of circus to give a unique perspective into the complex world of human trafficking.
See biography Sky Neal and Kate MacLarnon
The World Has Not Changed
Norway, 2018, 36 min / Original languages: French, Pere, Fulani
Location: Cameroon, Ngaoundere and Gadjewan
A Film by: Trond Waage
The Pèrè people are an ethnic group living in the Père plains. Their territory is divided by the Nigerian Cameroonian border and their traditions are threatened by a strong islamization process and migration into the cities. The regional radio station CRTV Adamaoua in North Cameroon broadcasts in various national languages. “The World Has Not Changed” follows the editors in the language of Pere and their work to take care of the traditions of their people and to facilitate communication between their people and the modern world.
See biography Trond Waage
Nollywood. Filmbusiness African Style
Germany, 2019, 65 min / Original languages: German, English
Location: Nigeria
A Film by: Johannes Preuss
"The second largest film industry in the world" is based in Lagos, Nigeria. Nollywood is known for its low-cost films, which are sold on local street markets. However, a lot has happened in recent years. Multiplex cinemas are opening up and the Internet is providing affordable access to worldwide distribution. These new opportunities attract diverse characters. For director Abba Makama, the moment has come for an intellectual cinematic movement. Bastian Gotter, a young investor from Berlin, almost accidently succeeded in founding the largest streaming service in Africa. Popcorn cinema producer Don Omope says: "We are here to become the Nigerian Tarantinos and Steven Spielbergs."
See biography Johannes Preuss
Discussion Saturday afternoon
Participants: Felicia Hughes-Freeland, Trond Waage, Johannes Preuss
Moderation: Matjaz Pinter, Marlene Schlichtenhorst
Congo Calling
Germany, 2019, 90 min / Original languages: German, English, French, Swahili
Location: GDemocratic Republic of the Congo; Belgium; Germany
A Film by: Stephan Hilpert
In eastern Congo, one of the poorest regions on earth, three European aid workers are forced to question how helpful is the help of the West. Raúl, a French-Spanish economist doing research on rebel groups, realizes he is leading his Congolese colleagues into great temptation with his project funds. After 30 years in Africa, Peter, from Germany, reaches retirement age and is unable to renew his job contract. He is fighting a losing battle to preserve his identity as an aid worker. The relationship of Anne-Laure, from Belgium, is put to the test when her Congolese boyfriend becomes a high-profile regime critic. Three personal insights into coexistence and cooperation between Europe and Africa.
See biography Stephan Hilpert
Spears From All Sides
USA, 2019, 90 min / Original languages: English, Spanish
Location: Ecuador; USA
A Film by: Christopher Walker
It is the story of a small Amazon village desperately fighting to defend its future – and ours. 70% of the Ecuadorian Amazon, home to 12 ethnic groups, has been divided into oil blocks, polluting one of the world’s most bio diverse rainforests. Only a small group, the Waorani, have successfully fought to keep oil off most of their land. 25 years ago, the filmmaker came to the Amazon to tell their story in the documentary “Trinkets & Beads”. Now, Ecuador has begun auctioning off the last pristine Waorani rainforest to the international oil industry – including the highly diverse Yasuni National Park. He returned to Ecuador in late 2014 to see if the Waorani could still win their battle against the big oil.
See biography Christopher Walker
Discussion Saturday evening
Participants: Stephan Hilpert, Christopher Walker
Moderation: Michael Schönhuth