Africa through the Eyes of European Directors

Myths, television reports, maps, newspaper photographs and dozens of other impersonal materials form our view of the African continent. Political instability, economic development, colonial history, breathtaking nature and a unique original culture; these are but a part of the themes by means of which Africa is introduced to us. Discover Africa as you have not known it before and travel with the documentary camera of renowned documentary stars Michael Glawogger, Peter Liechti and Nikolaus Geyrhalter from Morocco to Congo!

The phenomenon of the hard work of labourers, frequently paid for by their health, blood and only minimum wage, is explored by two films in the selection. The situation of Nigerian slaughterhouse workers as well as Ukrainian miners and Indonesian sulphur pickers is explored in WORKINGMAN´S DEATH by Austrian director Michael Glawogger. The film has received 6 prestigious awards, including those from the Danish festival CPH:DOX and German DOK Leipzig, and was nominated for the best European documentary award in 2005. A similarly disturbing message is brought by the film by Belgian director Thierry Michel, who has been dealing with the African continent on a long-term basis. KATANGA BUSINESS gives an account of the contemporary globalized world, where the main role is played by the economic power of global superpowers paid for by the poverty of those who secure the sources for this power with their bare hands.

The theme of the relationship between the African and the European continent is discussed in diverse ways in the films SOLAR ECLIPSE by Czech director Martin Mareček, 7 915 KM by Austrian filmmaker Nikolaus Geyrhalter and the music road movie NAMIBIA CROSSINGS by legendary filmmaker Peter Liechti. While SOLAR ECLIPSE mediates the possibilities and problems related to development aid in African countries, 7 915 KM introduces the role of Europeans in the political history of Africa on the backdrop of the traditional Dakar Rally car race. NAMIBIA CROSSINGS approaches the theme from the multicultural perspective, searching for the linking elements of different cultures and ethnic groups by means of music. The six documentaries are wrapped up by the film story of ORANIA by director Tobias Lindner capturing an untraditional social experiment taking place in the middle of abandoned Central Africa. There the white descendants of European immigrants try to create their own community, independent from the surrounding state and based on the uncompromising exclusion of other ethnic groups. What are the workings of a community whose main right is that of declared racial discrimination?

Discover the new, yet unknown and, most importantly, documentary Africa from February 2 to 8 for free!