Cold Case Hammarskjöld, is a controversial investigation into the mysterious plane crash over Zambia that killed idealistic U.N. General Secretary Dag Hammarskjöld  in 1961 as he was attempting to negotiate a ceasefire in the Congo . Winner of the 2019 World Cinema Documentary Directing Award at the Sundance Film Festival, this documentary has been described at “provocative”, “singular” and “jaw-dropping”. 

Followed by a discussion with the film’s lead investigator and producer Andreas Rocksén.

Reviews

“It’s impossible to emerge from this film without being shaken to your core. Mission accomplished: mind blown.” – Washington Post

“Cold Case Hammarskjöld may be the most unusual and upsetting film you’ll see this year.” – Time Out

The future of water isn’t a simple topic – it is vast and can often be overwhelming. During the discussion we will explore how this topic can be made accessible through the power of storytelling and film.

We will premiere four short documentaries which were produced as part of the global sH2Orts film competition, organised by WaterAid in partnership with the Public Media Alliance’s WorldView project. Each film offers a unique insight into the global water crisis and urges us to think about how we can respond to it.

The discussion which follows will focus on climate change, innovation, urbanisation and inequality – and how they relate to the global water crisis.

Panelists

Mark Galloway, Director of International Broadcasting Trust (Moderator)

Before joining IBT, Mark worked as a journalist, current affairs producer and documentary filmmaker. He’s been a Channel 4 Commissioning Editor, responsible for Education and Features, and has made films for ITV, Channel 4, the BBC, Discovery and Al Jazeera, winning more than a dozen national and international awards including a Gold Medal at the New York Film Festival, a Peabody Award and a BAFTA. At IBT, Mark is responsible for the day to day running of the organization, overall strategy, research and relations with IBT’s members.

Alok Jha is a journalist, broadcaster and author of The Water Book. He is the science correspondent at ITV News. Before that, he spent a decade at the Guardian and made programmes for the BBC.

Bethlehem Mengistu has over 12 years experience in the development sector, with special focus on gender equality, human rights, good governance and provision of basic services. She has worked within senior roles for organizations such as WaterAid, Care International, Action Aid and notable grassroots women’s organizations in East Africa. Bethlehem has solid experience in programme management, strategic campaigning and advocacy and policy analysis. Her educational background is in Law and Sociology and is currently working at WaterAid as Regional Advocacy Manager for East Africa and Acting Country Representative for WaterAid in Ethiopia.

Menka Sanghvi is an innovation researcher and facilitator focusing on global health and wellbeing. At the Humanitarian Innovation Fund she leads a dedicated fund to improve water, sanitation and hygiene conditions for vulnerable communities. In her role she supports a wide range of project teams in building ideas, testing them out, and scaling to achieve better impact. Menka brings over a decade of experience in delivering innovation projects with organisations such as Oxfam, Unilever, Barclays Bank, Impact Hub, and with local communities. She serves as a mentor for the Global Sustainability Jam, and a judge for the UNDP Equator Prize.

Sarah Mosses is CEO of Together Films, a new consultancy working with social issue film content to reach new audiences. She helps filmmakers craft Impact Distribution Campaigns to increase both their social impact, audience reach and revenue potential. As an award winning Producer, Sarah’s debut feature documentary They Will Have To Kill Us First had its World Premiere at SXSW 2015 and European Premiere at London Film Festival 2015. Sarah is a mentor for Documentary Campus, Eso Doc, Sheffield DocFest, On Screen Manitoba, working with emerging producers to enhance their film narrative and distribution/marketing potential.

Film lineup:

PLACE OF SWEET WATERS
Directed by: Sven Harding
2015/South Africa
www.svenharding.com

Place of Sweet Waters will take us to the underground tunnels which run beneath the city of Cape Town, transporting millions of litres of water from Table Mountain directly into the sea. As South Africa grapples with its worst drought in more than 30 years, the film raises questions about why this urban water source is being ‘wasted’.

BLANKETED SNOWS
Directed by: Vardan Hovhannisyan
2015/Armenia
caucadoconline.com/projects/author/25

Filmed in a stunning mountain region of Armenia, Blanketed Snows will encourage the panel to think about how climate change affects water supplies and livelihoods, and how the two are inextricably linked.

AUTOMATIC TUBIG MACHINE
Directed by: Giselle Santos
2015/Philippines
twitter.com/sampunglitro

Automatic Tubig Machine is a fly-on-the-wall documentary about remote communities in the Philippines who are using an innovative water supply technology. During this observational film we are offered a unique and fascinating insight into how children and adults gain access to this vital resource.

THE HOIST
Directed by: Ibrahim S Kamara
2015/Sierra Leone
http://www.wateraid.org/film-competition/sh2orts2016/winners

Set in Sierra Leone, The Hoist looks at the ingenuity of a local young woman who wants to simplify the time-consuming and physical task of collecting water. The film raises questions about the role new technology and innovation can play in the face of the global water crisis.

On 16 August 2012, South African police shot and killed 34 striking miners from the Marikana platinum mine owned by Lonmin. They were on strike for a living wage, trapped in a life of desperate poverty.

With the Marikana Commission having recently released their report into what happened, the Frontline Club hosted a two-part event on 17 July, exploring the dynamics of politics, power and platinum in South Africa.

L-r: Jason Larkin, Richard Dowden and Jack Shenker (Photo credit: Caroline Chauvet)

First to join the audience was photographer Jason Larkin and journalist Jack Shenker, presenting their publication Platinum.  Speaking of the news coverage following the massacre, chair Richard Dowden, director of the Royal African Society, spoke of the astounding lack of voice given towards the miners in the mainstream media.

“In the press, 61% of the comments were from company people and only 3% of the comments were from mine workers. So it seemed to me not quite enough shoe leather had really been worn out in digging out that story.”

Larkin and Shenker sought to counteract this predominant account, focusing on the human stories of the miners in Marikana.

“These are desperate people in desperate times… from my perspective it’s a celebration of the people, their determination, their will. I’ve never seen anything quite like it,” Larkin commented.

“There was this real attempt [in the media] to completely stigmatise the miners, to place them as something completely antithetical to the normal workings of the modern global economy. So we wanted to go there and build on what these other journalists had done to destroy that narrative,” added Shenker.

The second part of the event brought together a panel of experts to reflect on the massacre in Marikana and its consequences for South Africa.

First to speak was James Nichol, the criminal lawyer representing the families of those killed in the massacre. Discussing the findings of the Marikana Mission of Enquiry, Nichol expressed his disappointment:

“The killings occurred as a result of a collusion between the ANC government and big business in the form of Lonmin… it is tragic that [Honorable Judge] Farlam could not see what happened to the miners through the eyes of the miners. He saw it through authority.”

Nichol went on to discuss the changing socio-political landscape in the aftermath of Marikana: “The legacy of Marikana extends much more than this commission. South Africa will never be the same,” he said.

“I totally agree South Africa will never be the same again,” added Dr Desné Masie, client manager for Southern Africa at Africa Matters Limited.

“The events of Marikana were a watershed for corporate social responsibility,” she added, citing the IFC as an example. As the investment arm of the World Bank, it holds a 0.6% stake in Lonmin mine.

“Why does corporate social responsibility have to be mutually exclusive from profitability?” she asked.

“The tragedy of the young South African democracy is how quickly we adopted the tawdry norms of global politics,” said Andrew Feinstein, writer and former ANC MP.

“Of course the individuals are to blame. But what is to blame far more than the individuals is the global intersection of politics that determines the world we live in.”

L-r: James Nichol, Desné Masie, Richard Dowden, Andrew Feinstein and Jabu Sibeko

Addressing the criticisms voiced towards the ANC by the panel, Jabu Sibeko, chairman of the African National Congress in the UK, said: “I do accept it was a very, very unfortunate incident that happened… it was a tragic and embarrassing incident that happened post apartheid.”

Speaking from the audience, Shenker addressed Sibeko:

“[The strike] threatened a system in which a privilege elite in South Africa, under ANC stewardship, have amassed fabulous riches whilst others have slipped into poverty. And in this context, there’s no room for words like ‘embarrassment,’ there’s no room for words like ‘unfortunate.’ There’s room for words like ‘murder’ and ‘massacre’ and ‘responsibility’ and ‘accountability’ and ‘justice.’”

Rounding off the discussion, conversation moved on to the future for South Africa. For Feinstein, he is hopeful that the vibrant, rallying force of South Africa’s community will bring about change.

“[South Africa] remains a highly politicised society. There are thousands and thousands of social protests in South Africa every day… and that gives me hope, that while it will take time, eventually the unaccountable way in which the ANC currently operates in South Africa will not be sustainable. And I hope the tragedy of Marikana can be an important stepping-stone in that process.”

On 16 August 2012, South African police opened fire on a large crowd of men who were on strike from the Marikana platinum mine. The police action resulted in 112 people being shot and 34 killed.

Nearly three years on from the massacre and as the Marikana Commission are due to publish their inquiry into what happened, we will be holding a special two-part event to explore politics, power and platinum in South Africa.

For the first part of the evening, photographer Jason Larkin and writer Jack Shenker will present Platinum. The publication examines the Marikana massacre and the physical and political context of the communities involved in South Africa’s platinum mining industry. Combining large-format posters and a wide-ranging and incisive essay in English and Xhosa, the publication breaks with traditional formats and brings new perspectives to an important and little-understood history.

The second part of the evening will see a panel of experts reflect on the events in Marikana and their consequences in South Africa, as well as what the report reveals about who should be held accountable.

Chaired by Richard Dowden, director of the Royal African Society and journalist with 30 years of experience covering Africa for various publications including The Independent, The Times and The Economist. He is author of Africa: Altered States, Ordinary Miracles.

The panel:

Andrew Feinstein is a writer, campaigner and former ANC Member of Parliament. He is author of After the Party: A Personal and Political Journey Inside the ANC and The Shadow World: Inside the Global Arms Trade.

Dr Desné Masie is an analyst of geopolitical economy and the client manager for southern Africa at Africa Matters Limited. She was the corporate relationship manager of the Royal African Society and a senior editor at the Financial Mail in Johannesburg.

James Nichol is a criminal lawyer representing the families of those who were killed by police during the Marikana strike. Previously he worked closely on Bridgewater, Wallace and Rowe with investigative journalists Paul Foot and Margaret Renn. He helped represent Arthur Scargill and miners in the 1984-85 strike and had clients in the Bloody Sunday inquiry.

Jack Shenker is a journalist and author based in London and Cairo. Formerly Egypt correspondent for The Guardian, his work has also covered Gaza, Central Asia, Southern Africa, the US, the UK and the Indian subcontinent, and been published in a wide range of newspapers and magazines around the world.

Platinum is supported by the Pulitzer Centre and Rosa Luxembourg Stiftung.

PLEASE NOTE THIS EVENT WILL BE FILMED AND STREAMED LIVE ON OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Photo: Jason Larkin. EFF supporters listening to leader Julius Malema, Freedom Park.

Based on Frantz Fanon’s landmark 1961 book, The Wretched of the Earth, Concerning Violence explores the mechanisms of decolonisation. It is a bold and fresh visual narrative on Africa, told through newly discovered archive material of the struggle for liberation from colonial rule in the late ‘60s and ‘70s.

Written over 50 years ago, Fanon’s book is still a major tool for understanding and illuminating neocolonialism today. This continued relevance inspired director Göran Hugo Olsson to visualise the nationalistic struggle for self-determination in an age when European colonial powers began to retreat from the last outposts of their faded empires.

Olsson‘s unique and artful film travels through Zimbabwe, Guinea, Mozambique, Congo, and South Africa. The rich archive material shows the young Robert Mugabe talking about redistribution of land; visits Portuguese platoons in Mozambique caught in the fog of a jungle war with guerrillas who have nothing to lose; and shows searing interviews with white settlers.

Directed by Göran Hugo Olsson
Duration: 85′
Year: 2014

This screening is in partnership with Dogwoof

In August 2012, mine workers in one of South Africa’s biggest platinum mines began a strike for better wages. This peaceful demonstration was brought down violently by an intervention from state police forces, killing 34 miners and injuring many more.

Director Rehad Desai followed the strike from day one. Through testimonies and previously unseen police, security and TV footage, he reconstructs what happened in Marikana and the aftermath. What emerges is collusion at the top and spiralling violence. Miners Shot Down paints a disturbing picture of the mechanisms of power in South Africa, where corporations make profits by exploiting the poorest.

Directed by Rehad Desai
Duration: 85′
Year: 2014

As the ceremonies to mark the passing of Nelson Mandela come to a close and South Africa prepares for a national election, we will be bringing together a panel to look at the political future of the country.

This year’s election will be the fifth free election since the end of apartheid in 1994. As South Africa enters its 20th year of democracy we will be examining today’s political landscape. What does the future hold for the ANC and its current leader Jacob Zuma?

With wide-spread corruption, unemployment rising and slow economic growth under the ANC, who will the people of South Africa turn to in 2014? The ANC is still the dominant political force but without change will this still be the case following another term? We will be looking at the political make-up of the country, where the divisions lie and how these might develop.

Chaired by Patrick Smith, the editor-in-chief of Africa Confidential and Africa-Asia Confidential.

The panel:

John Battersby is the country manager of Brand South Africa in the UK. Previously he was editor-in-chief of the Sunday Independent in Johannesburg, and served as The New York Times and the Christian Science Monitor’s southern Africa correspondent.

Sophie Masipa is the director of communications at the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, established in 2006 with a focus on the critical importance of leadership and governance in Africa.

Martin Plaut is senior research fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, former BBC Africa editor and author of a number of books including Who Rules South Africa?

Jonny Steinberg is a South African writer and lecturer in African Studies at Oxford University. His work explores South African people and institutions in the wake of the transition to democracy.

Johannesburg is a city built on gold. It was founded in 1886 when settlers and immigrants began mining the largest reef of precious metal ever discovered. What had been a small farming community rapidly transformed into a mining mecca and within 50 years, over 300,000 people were working in mines across the city. The mining may have come to an end, but its environmental and social impact is still visible.

Jason Larkin lived in Johannesburg for two years, photographing a landscape of vast tailing dams – mountains of dumped toxic waste.

In his new book, Tales From The City Of Gold, Larkin combines his observations of the ordinary and extraordinary nature of life alongside the dumps. Its focus on the coexistence of the past and the present provides a unique perspective on the actions of previous generations and reveals their impact on today’s society and environment. Through this project, Larkin has worked on multiple formats for the final output, reaching different audiences both in Africa & Europe.

In a talk chaired by Francis Hodgson, they will discuss the challenges of communicating ideas and reaching audiences, as well as the various methods of output and distribution available to photographers today.

Hodgson is the professor in the Culture of Photography at the University of Brighton, photography critic of the Financial Times and a former head of the photographs department at Sotheby’s.

An exhibition of the work will be held at Flowers, 82 Kingsland Road, London E2 8DP, 20 February – 20 March 2014.

All images © Jason Larkin, courtesy Flowers, London.

An epic film version of Nelson Mandela’s autobiography Long Walk to Freedom, adapted by Bill Nicholson, tells the story from his childhood in a rural village to his inauguration as the first democratically elected president of South Africa. Starring Idris Elba and Naomie Harris, it tells story of an ordinary man who rose to the challenge of his times and triumphed – an intimate portrait of the making of a modern icon.

The film is the largest South African production ever mounted, and was made with the full support and endorsement of Mr Mandela, the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory. South African producer Anant Singh spent 16 years developing the film before it began shooting in May 2012. Thousands of South Africans participated in the making of the film, both behind and in front of the camera.

Directed by Justin Chadwick
Duration: 146′
Year: 2013

Director Tobias Lindner brought his fascinating documentary Orania to a packed Frontline Club on Monday 20 May.

Described as “a remote village in the barren centre of South Africa – an ‘intentional community’ where only white Afrikans people live”, Orania is relatively unknown globally. But Lindner, a German who has spent long enough in the country to be fluent in Afrikaans, explained that “in South Africa, it is inevitable that you will hear about the place.”

Shot over a three month period in 2011, the film offers an intimate look into the lives of Afrikaners who have chosen to group together into what they call a ‘nation-state‘: a conservative, Christian farming community with the overriding aim of preserving Afrikaner culture. In Orania, self-reliance and hard work are given an almost religious importance, yet the film highlights the struggles of the community to attract –and keep – new residents. Lindner commented that it is “remarkable how many people come and then leave. [They] expect a Boer Disneyland.”

As ever, the post-screening question and answer session provided some excellent discussion. Questions focused on Orania’s ties with Eugène Terre’Blanche’s separatist AWB (“no official links”); support for apartheid (“many look back fondly”); the masculine nature of Orania (“men are in charge”); and the focus of education at the two schools (“not enough to allow the kids to interact in the world.”)

When asked if Orania will still exist in ten years, Lindner answered:

“It is hard for me to say if they will be there in the future. They have a stubbornness about them that lets me think they could be there a long time . . . which does not say they will grow.”

This lack of growth was brought home when Lindner was asked about how the protagonists are doing now, two years after the film was shot. Three have moved away and two have died, he said.  Of the leavers, the character he calls the main protagonist: a troubled, young “gangster” from Johannesburg, was kicked out during filming. Carel Boshoff, Orania’s founder and another central character in the documentary, died in March 2011.

Mention in the film of the idiom about good fences making good neighbours, prompted the question:

“With the rich Afrikaners building gated communities, is Orania for the poor ones?”

Lindner‘s reply: “It’s strange to see a community so fenced-in in their minds, but not really fenced-in in reality” was a fitting summary of Orania; an idyllic, peaceful, rural setting, inhabited by people intentionally distancing themselves from the modern South Africa, the ‘Rainbow Nation’. As Boshoff mentioned in the film:

“Give people their own territory and they live at peace with their neighbours.”

Given the record of violence against white farmers in the country, Orania has seemingly achieved this in its 22 years of existence.

https://twitter.com/RathaLehall/status/336580164291014656

Orania has screened at film festivals around the world, is currently shown in independent cinema’s throughout South Africa, and will be cinematically released in Germany. There are no further screenings scheduled at the moment, but you can stay up to date through the film’s facebook page or website.

You can listen to the Q&A and watch the trailer below.

http://soundcloud.com/frontlineclub/screening-orania-q-a-with

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