FAWA – Filmmakers Against Women Abuse

JESSICA VALE

Jessica is an accomplished non-fiction film producer and editor, working in New York City for over a decade. Her credits include work for CBS News, NBC News, National ZGeographic, Discovery Channel, History Channel, The Weinstein Co, and more. “Small Small Thing” is her documentary directorial debut.

When she’s not deep in the documentary world, Jess spends her time as a musician and artist. In 2005 and 2007, her singles appeared on the Billboard charts. Her work has been featured in publications around the world such as the front page of the Times London art section, Wired Magazine and the NY Daily News.

FLASHBACKS

DIRECTOR: JESSICA VALE

“Flashbacks” is a short scene from the award winning documentary “Small Small Thing.” In “Flashbacks” we meet a young Liberian man who can’t escape his past as a civil war commander. He talks freely of the abuse he afflicted on women during the war and how his wife now bares that burden.

BENDU AND OLIVIA’S STORY

DIRECTOR: JESSICA VALE

“Bendu and Olivia’s Story” is a short scene from the award winning documentary “Small Small Thing.” In this scene, 9 year old Olivia Zinnah has just had a colostomy operation in Monrovia, Liberia. The procedure saved her life after years of infection from a severe fistula. There are 2 versions of the story about how her injury occurred. That of her Western medical doctors, and that of her tribal village.

DIRECTOR: LERATO MOLOI

Lerato was born in Jabulani, Soweto. In 2011-2012 Lerato trained at the DSTV Film Development Program at Big Fish Digital School of Filmmaking. Her short films have been broadcast short films on DSTV and her student works includes The Adventures of the Wiby Kid and Reflections from a train.

SCARS directed bt Lerato Moloi

Scars tells a story about verbal abuse passed on form generation to generation. Abusers are made, not born. The film is told through a personal and intimate journey of Richard, who grew up in an abusive family. Seeing his father’s continued verbal abuse of his mother, Richard is raised to believe that this is ok.

NTOMBOZUKO TWIGGY MATIWANA

Born and raised in Grahmastown, Twiggy studied Tv & Radio broadcasting in PE. After cutting her teeth in radio at Umhlobo FM and television at Penguin Films, she enrolled at Big Fish Digital School of Filmmaking, majoring in directing.

SEE, SPEAK, HEAR NO EVIL

Directed by Twiggy Matiwana

9 out of 10 women in South Africa experience sexually, emotionally, verbally and/or physically abusive relationships. Many stay in these relationships. The film explores why women stay in abusive relationships. Rosie Motene, a public figure who was in an abusive relationship managed to get out, she tells her story, imploring women to take a stand.

MBALI MTHETHWA

Mbali woked at SABC news desk as an editorial assistant while studying a BA communications through Unisa. During this time she realized she wanted to make films. She started a production company, Happy Brown Babies, with a friend, but realized she needed more practical experience. She discovered the Documentary programme at Big Fish School of Digital Filmmaking where she is honing her skills as filmmaker, while still working on professional broadcast productions.

LOBOLA directed by Mbali Mthethwa

As a young girl, Fikile was abducted and forced into marriage in a small viallge in Kwa-Zulu Natal. Her abductor then paid lobola for her, which her family accepted. What followed was a life of abuse, not only from her new family, but also her husband. Lobola explores the idea that the custom of Lobola has become so perverted that women are being treated as property.

NDUDUZO SHANDU

Nduduzo Shandu studied documentary filmmaking at BigFish School of Digital Filmmaking, where he won best cinematographer for Painted Black another film against woman abuse. He was part of the One Fine Day film directing workshop in Kenya in 2012. His first short film Bosso Ke Mang won the Durban Short Film Challenge at Durban International Film Challenge. He then directed a film called Baby Come Duze for Mzansi Magic.

UMALUME (MY UNCLE) by Nduduzo Shandu

Over 1000 photographs have been stitched together to make this short documentary about a young woman telling her story of abuse in the fast paced city of Johannesburg. The stop motion effect gives it a visceral intensity that relates to the theme of violence against woman.

SARA GOUVEIA

Sara is an award winning film maker and photographer. Born in Lisbon, she’s now based in Cape Town doing documentary work, her most recent of which was the acclaimed Mama Goema: The Cape Town in Five Movements, 2011. She is also part of the Cape Town-based audiovisual performance-art project Darkroom Collective.

UNLEARNING VIOLENCE

Directed by Sara Gouveia and Kofi Zwana

A conversation between established men and women in the active fight against gender based violence. The story explores the roots, challenges but most importantly, the steps forward in dealing with the issue. Touching on the ideas of culture, history, patriarchy and others, the film attempts to paint a brief portrait of the problem of abuse and suggests possible starting points in tackling the issue head on

KOFI ZWANA

Kofi Zwana is an award winning director working mainly in the commercials industry. Born in Zimbabwe, he is now living and working in Cape Town.

The two of them bring their individual talents together in the common pursuit of honest film making.

UNLEARNING VIOLENCE

Directed by Sara Gouveia and Kofi Zwana

A conversation between established men and women in the active fight against gender based violence. The story explores the roots, challenges but most importantly, the steps forward in dealing with the issue. Touching on the ideas of culture, history, patriarchy and others, the film attempts to paint a brief portrait of the problem of abuse and suggests possible starting points in tackling the issue head on.

GUY HUBBARD

Guy Hubbard is a freelance documentary film maker working mostly for United Nations humanitarian agencies and in particular UNICEF. I’ve worked throughout Africa, South East Asia and in Haiti, filming and documenting humanitarian issues.

IN MY FOOTSTEPS directed by GUY HUBBARD

Women in sub-Saharan Africa suffer almost twice as much illness from sexual and reproductive health causes than women in the whole world, and at least two million women live with obstetric fistula in developing countries, with more than 50 000 new cases occurring each year. Rape and early or adolescent child birth are major causes of fistula and those women and girls affected often end up ostracized by their communities and abandoned by their families.