VIRUNGA: OFFICIAL BROADCAST PREMIERE
AfriDocs announces the African broadcast premiere of the Netflix Originals feature documentary,VIRUNGA.
A powerful combination of investigative journalism and nature documentary, VIRUNGA is the incredible true story of a group of courageous people risking their lives to build a better future in a part of Africa the world’s forgotten, and a gripping exposé of the realities of life in the Congo.
From Executive Producer, Leonardo DiCaprio, VIRUNGA is a BAFTA and Academy Award nominee, and has won over 40 international awards since its World Premiere at Tribeca Film Festival one year ago.
In the forested depths of eastern Congo lies Virunga National Park, one of the most bio-diverse places on Earth and home to the planet’s last remaining mountain gorillas. In this wild, but enchanted environment, a small and embattled team of park rangers – including an ex-child soldier turned ranger, a caretaker of orphan gorillas and a dedicated conservationist – protect this UNESCO world heritage site from armed militia, poachers and the dark forces struggling to control Congo’s rich natural resources. When the newly formed M23 rebel group declares war, a new conflict threatens the lives and stability of everyone and everything they’ve worked so hard to protect, with the filmmakers and the film’s participants caught in the crossfire.
A powerful combination of investigative journalism and nature documentary, VIRUNGA is the incredible true story of a group of courageous people risking their lives to build a better future in a part of Africa the world’s forgotten, and a gripping exposé of the realities of life in the Congo.
The AfriDocs broadcast of VIRUNGA, presented in association with Steps and the Bertha Foundation, will air at 8pm (CAT) on May 21st 2015 in all 49 countries across sub-Saharan Africa on DSTV ED satellite Channel 190 and terrestrially on GoTv65.
MAY AFRIDOCS SCHEDULE:
14 May
Big Men | Rachel Boynton | Ghana, Nigeria, USA | 2013 | 100 min
Over five years, director Rachel Boynton and her cinematographer film the quest for oil in Ghana by Dallas-based Kosmos. The company develops the country’s first commercial oil field, yet its success is quickly compromised by political intrigue and accusations of corruption. As Ghanaians wait to reap the benefits of oil, the filmmakers discover violent resistance down the coast in the Niger Delta, where poor Nigerians have yet to prosper from decades-old oil fields.
International Green Film Award, Cinema for Peace Awards 2014
18 May
A Place Without People | Andreas Apostolides | Tanzania, Greece | 2009 | 55 min
A Place Without People is a film about how the local population of Tanzania has been evicted to make way for the creation of the world’s most famous nature reserves. Set in the famous Serengeti and the Ngorongoro crater, the film explores how the parks came to be and how western perceptions about nature radically altered both the East African landscape and society.
Jury Awards, Seoul Green Film Festival
AfriPedia: Kenya | Teddy Goitom, Benjamin Taft, Senay Berhe | Kenya | 2014 | 28 min
‘Afripedia, Kenya’ takes an intimate look at Nairobi’s urban culture scene and its leading personalities and stars. Meet 3D-artist ANDREW KAGGIA, creator of the 3D-animated political short film, taking you to his futuristic vision of Nairobi and proving that disability is never inability. Afro-futuristic pop band and DIY enthusiasts JUST A BAND redefine music videos and visual artist CYRUS turns garbage into highly sought after artworks.
21 May – Special Broadcast Event – Official African Premiere
Virunga | Orlando von Einsiedel | Congo | 2014 | 96 min
A group of brave individuals risk their lives to save the last of the world’s mountain gorillas; in the midst of renewed civil war and a scramble for Congo’s natural resources.
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, Academy Awards 2015
25 May
Concerning Violence Göran Olsson | Sweden, USA, Denmark & Finland | 2014 | 85 min
Internationally awarded documentary about the African liberation struggles of the
1960s and 1970s. It combines newly discovered archival material depicting some
of the most daring moments in the confrontation with colonial powers. Narrated
by Lauryn Hill, with text based on Frantz Fanon’s Wretched of the Earth.
Cinema Fairbindet Prize, Berlin International Film Festival 2014
28 May
Sisters-in-law | Kim Longinotto co-directed by Florence Ayisi | Cameroon | 2005 | 104 min
A fascinating, moving and often hilarious look at the work of one small courthouse in Cameroon where two women determined to change a village are making progress that could change the world. The tough-minded state prosecutor, Vera Ngassa and Court President , Beatrice Ntuba are working to help women in their village find the courage to fight often-difficult cases of abuse, despite pressures from their family and their community to remain silent.
Audience Award, International Documentary Film Festival, Amsterdam 2005
