U.S. FILMS FEATURED AT ZIMBABWE FILM FESTIVAL

August 24th, 2006: Eight films from the United States will grace this year’s Zimbabwe International Film Festival. Leading the list are US Embassy sponsored documentary ‘Rize’ directed by David LaChapelle and feature film ‘Police Beat’ directed by Robinson Devor.
Other entries from the U.S. are ‘Conversations with other Women’ (Director: Hans Canosa), Sarang Song (Tamika Miller & Adisa Khepra), ‘God sleeps in Rwanda’ (Kimberly Acquaro and Stacey Sherman), ‘Happy Birthday’ (Csaba Bereckzy) and two collaborative films- ‘United Nations of Hip-Hop’ (Christina Choe) entered jointly with Senegal, and ‘A Tale of Two Teens’ (Director: Geoff Poister) entered jointly with South Africa. The eight films are among over 100 films that will showcase at the festival between Friday August 25th and Sunday September 3rd 2006. The festival is held annually and coordinated by the Zimbabwe International Film Festival Trust based in Harare, Zimbabwe.

Conversations with Other Women

Man (Aaron Eckhart) meets Woman (Helena Bonham Carter) at a wedding, with verbally dexterous, table-turning results. Set over the span of a single night, director/editor Hans Canosa fashions a genuine conversation piece by splitting the screen and providing a novel spin on the whole concept of “he said, she said.”

God sleeps in Rwanda

The 1994 Rwandan Genocide left the country nearly 70% female handing
Rwanda’s women an extraordinary burden and an unprecedented opportunity.
A poignant story of loss and redemption “God Sleeps in Rwanda” captures
the spirit of five courageous women as they rebuild their lives, redefining women’s roles in Rwandan society and bringing hope to a wounded nation.

United Nations of Hip Hop

Jay Z posters adorn bedroom walls, youth sport Adidas, MCs battle on street corners. No, this is not New York or L.A. this is Senegal, West Africa, where MCs talk about African debt dependency, Islam and poverty over powerful beats.

A tale of two teens

A Tale of Two Teens is about AIDS as seen through the eyes of an American teenager visiting an orphaned South African girl who lives in the epi-centre of the pandemic. This documentary features the music of Dave Matthews Band, U2 and the resilient young people of the Kwazulu Natal Province of South Africa. An eye-opening film which portrays life in music, death in silence and hope in you.

Rize

"Rize" reveals a groundbreaking dance phenomenon, "Krumping" that is exploding on the streets of South Central, Los Angeles in the USA. In this fascinating documentary we meet Tommy Johnson (Tommy the Clown), who first created the style in response to the 1992 Rodney King riots, as well as the kids who developed the moves into what is now known as “Krumping”. Taking advantage of unprecedented access and interviews with some of the biggest names in contemporary hip-hop music, this documentary film brings to first light a revolutionary form of artistic expression borne from oppression. The aggressive and visually stunning dance modernizes moves indigenous to African tribal rituals and features mind-blowing athletic movement never before seen in dance.

Police Beat

Police Beat follows Senegalese-born Seattle cop “Z” on his beat for seven days and six nights, covering crimes, based on actual Seattle police reports, as he anxiously awaits the return of his girlfriend. He becomes so preoccupied with his possibly unfaithful girlfriend that he never once acknowledges the criminal world that swirls around him. The crimes Z encounters become mirrors of his turbulent inner state, allowing him to philosophise about his unstable romantic relationship as well as his own development as an emotional being. An unusual portrait of an immigrant new to the United States that focuses less on the protagonist’s socio-economic difficulties than on his emotional responses to American life.

Sarang Song

Festival favourite Tamika Miller returns to the line-up with this moving film about love and the painful choices it forces us to make. A couple's love is tested when one is thrust into the student protest movement of the 1970's and is forced to make a choice - will she choose her love, or will she choose the movement?

Happy Birthday

Disturbing memories take us into the mind of Little Lisa. She is remembering what happened on her eighth birthday and the result is deeply devastating. A tragic tale of a young girl’s memories of abuse.