DIRECTORS Angus Gibson Filmography

Transcription

1 DIRECTORS Angus Gibson, one of South Africa s premier documentary filmmakers, is a founding member of Free Filmmakers, a film co- operative established in 1985 to create a relevant South African cinema. Since 1983, when he created his first television drama, he has produced, directed, and co- written numerous highly- acclaimed and internationally award- winning documentary series and TV dramas for British and South African television, including the Heartlines series, Yizo Yizo, and Soweto, a History. He co- directed the Oscar- nominated authorized biography, Mandela. His diverse media projects, which include audio- visual contributions to the Apartheid Museum and the Hecter Pieterson Museum, have been influential in the anti- apartheid movement. Filmography 1996 Present, The Bomb Shelter Film Company (South Africa), Company Director , Free Film- makers (South Africa), Founding Member, co- operative founded to create relevant South African cinema Zone 14. (52- part TV drama series) Up, South Africa: Mandela s Children. Director Heartlines. Director, Writer. (96- minute multiple- award winning TV drama) The Miners: Crossroads: The Piano. Director. (Three 52- minute TV dramas) Sekalli le Meokgo. Co- Producer. (17- minute drama about a mythical stick fighter in the Lesotho mountains) Yizo Yizo 3. Co- writer, Co- Producer, Director. (3rd season. Winner of Human Rights Film Network Award, The Japan Prize, Official Venice Film Festival Selection, Golden Horn Award) Multi- media installation for the Hector Pieterson Museum Yizo Yizo 2. Producer and Head of Development. (2nd season. The Geneva Prize) audio- visual elements for the Apartheid Museum Blank. Director. (Video installation for Blank, an exhibition examining Apartheid architecture) Up, South Africa. Director. (South African chapter of Granada Television s flagship documentary series. Avanti award) Yizo Yizo. Producer, Co- director, Co- writer (1st season of controversial 13- part TV Drama Series. Multiple award winning) Mandela, Son of Africa, Father of a Nation. Co- Director. (Authorized biographical documentary. Oscar nomination, Amnesty International Media Spotlight Award, Pare Lorentz Award) Soweto, A History. Director. (Six- part documentary series for British Channel 4)

2 Up, South Africa. Director. (South African chapter of Granada Television s flagship documentary series. Tonight Award) Nowhere to Play Conversations with Sowetan Golfers. Director, Editor. (52- minute documentary about the emerging black middle class for British Channel 4) Singing the Changes. Director. (52- minute documentary for British Channel 4 about the cultural boycott and anti- apartheid culture in South Africa) Freedom Square & Back of the Moon. Co- Director, Editor. (52- minute documentary for British Channel 4 about destruction of a mixed race community by Apartheid government) Kosi Bay. Director, Editor. (52- minute documentary about the Temba Tonga people of Ingwavuma) Jasone Modjadji. Director, Editor. (SABC TV drama, Best Actor Award) Miguel Salazar works as a director, producer, and director of photography. He received an MFA from the NYU Graduate Film Program. He produced and directed the short film Martillo (Hammer) which won the Prize for Best Short Fiction Film at the 35th Kyiv Film Festival Molodist in Ukraine and at the 45th Cartagena International Film Festival in Colombia. He co- produced and co- directed The Battle of Silence, a short documentary about impunity in crimes against journalists in Latin America for the Inter American Press Association. He was also a co- producer of Un Tigre de Papel directed by Luis Ospina, winner of the National Documentary Prize in His latest film Stolen Land, a feature length documentary that he co- produced and co- directed received support from the Sundance Documentary Fund and won the Prize for Best Documentary from the South in the 32nd Havana Film Festival. Salazar is the author of two photography books Panoramic Colombia and Colombia 360º published by Villegas Editores. Filmography Robatierra (Stolen Land). Co- director, Co- producer, Writer, Cinematographer. (90- minute color video. Produced for the Sundance Documentary Fund, National Geographic, the Sundance Channel, and VPRO) La Batalla del Silencio (The Battle of Silence). Co- director, Co- producer, Writer, Cinematographer. (21 min. color video. Produced for the Inter American Press Association) Un Tigre de Papel (A Paper Tiger). Co- producer, Cinematographer. (90 min. color, video. Special jury prize at the Miami Film Festival and at the 20th Encounters of Latin American Cinema in Toulouse. Winner of the Colombian Documentary Prize in 2007) Martillo (Hammer). Director, Producer, Writer, Editor. (23 min. color, 35mm. Best Short Film at the 35th Kyiv Film Festival Molodist in Ukraine and the Prize for Best Short Fiction Film at the 45th Cartagena International Film Festival) PRODUCERS David Jammy has produced audio- visual media for the past 17 years and was active in South Africa s anti- apartheid movement. Working in a relatively nascent industry in

3 South Africa, Jammy helped to build one of South Africa s top production houses and has received numerous domestic and international awards for his work. Jammy has produced across a wide range of genres, including documentary, factual series, entertainment, commercials, education, and drama. He relocated to New York to work as Executive Producer at Pivot Pictures, a media initiative of the International Center for Transitional Justice. Bruni Burres is a well- known figure in the world of human rights oriented media. Burres is Senior Consultant with the Sundance Documentary Film Program. Her main role with the Sundance Documentary Program is to expand the roster of filmmakers working with the program and broaden the human rights themes that the program explores. In tandem with her work with Sundance, Bruni s an Executive Producer at Pivot Pictures, a media initiative at the International Center for Transitional Justice. Prior to joining the ICTJ, for over 15 years, Burres was Director of the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival. While at Human Rights Watch, Burres played a lead role in conceptualizing programming and managing all outreach and publicity for the Festival. She launched an annual festival in London, designed the festival s traveling showcases, partnered with MediaRights.org on the Media That Matters, an on- line human rights film festival, and developed the Festival s High School Program. ASSOCIATED PRODUCER Sarah Anderson has worked at the International Center for Transitional Justice since 2009, with both Pivot Pictures and the Program Office. Prior to joining ICTJ, Anderson assisted with outreach and development for The Sari Soldiers, an award- winning documentary about Nepal s recent civil war. While at the University of Michigan, she worked as a researcher on the Chene Street History Project archiving oral histories and images of a Detroit neighborhood, Anderson holds a B.A. in History and French (University of Michigan) and a Diplôme du Programme International (Sciences Po Paris). COPRODUCERS Maritza Blanco is dedicated to producing documentary films and to offering production services for international ews. Blanco was Associate Producer for La Corona (The Crown), 2007, a Runaway film commissioned HBO, nominated for an Academy Award for Best Short Documentary and recipient of a Honourable Mention at the Sundance Film Festival. Her company, Dessu Productions, was the local production company for Lonely Planet TV/Beach House Pictures series Roads Less Travelled, 2009, commissioned by National Geographic. Dessu Productions has been involved with the following Native Voices Film documentaries: Jake: Victory in the War on Kidnapping? Commissioned by Channel 4 UK, 2008; Model Behave, commissioned by Channel 4 UK, 2007; Hashima, commissioned by Aljazera UK, Christoph Jörg started his television career as a news reporter for ZDF and ARD. In 1991 he was appointed Editor for documentaries and low budget features in the ZDF

4 department "Das Kleine Fernsehspiel". In 1994 he moved to Paris where he started working for ARTE France as a Commissioning Editor for Thema, with responsibility for the editorial and creative direction of the programme. In 2003 he was appointed senior commissioning executive in the Arte France Specialist Factual department. He is also in charge of international development and international co- productions. From 1994 to 2007, he commissioned more than 700 documentaries for ARTE on various topics and worked with filmmakers from around the World, winning over 80 awards. He is currently Head of thematic studies for the Documentary Campus Masterschool and Board member of Steps International, a non profit organization which opens up new ways of commissioning and making films around the world. He works also as a consultant for different documentary festivals asidfa, Sheffild, DocFest, Copro Tel Aviv, and teaches in various international media programmes, like the Media Business School in Ronda. Jörg has a Postgraduate Diploma in Political Studies, Institut d Etudes Politiques (Paris, France) and a Masters Degree in Journalism and Political Studies, Westfaelische Wilhelms- Universitaet (Muenster, Germany) Filmography 2008 Present. Pumpernickel Films (Paris, France), Founding Producer. Produces single and series documentaries for TV and cinema in North America and Europe. Executive Producer: Madman Genius on Bobby Fischer by Liz Garbus (HBO/BBC/ ZDF- ARTE), Impunity by Elizabeth Jones (France TV/BBC), The World in a Room by Tanaz Eshaghian. Producer/ Co- producer: The Guantanamo Trap by Thomas Wallner (NDR/Nordmedia/ Swiss filmfund/ France TV), The Story of Ingrid Betancourt by Angus Macqueen (France TV, ARD, BBC), Looking for Colombia by Miguel Salazar and Angus Gibson (ZDF- ARTE/RCN TV Colombia), Next Stop, a city series for Arte France (4x26 minutes); completed in London and Istanbul; in production in Buenos Aires, Naples, and Amsterdam. In Development: Fruithunters by Yung Chang (Up the Yangtze), Brassens by Sibylle d Orgeval and Clementine Deroudille ARTE France, Senior Commissioning Editor : Why Democracy, 10- part documentary series (ARTE), Durakova by Nino Kirtatdze (ITVS), Looking for the Revolution by Rodrigo Vasquez (ITVS), Egypt: We Are Watching You by Jehane Noujaim (ITVS), Rembrandt s J accuse by Peter Greenaway, Taxi to the Dark Side by Alex Gibney, Act of God by Jennifer Baichwal, Secrets of the Tribe by José Padilha, Stranded by Gonzalo Arijon (ITVS). Notable production, , Be Like Others by Tanaz Eshaghian (ITVS). EDITOR Megan Gill ORIGINAL MUSIC Camilo Sanabria NARRATOR Héctor Abad Faciolince

5 SYNOPSIS "La Toma" Bogotá, November 6, heavily armed members of the cavalier M- 19 guerilla movement storm the Palace of Justice, home to Colombia s Supreme Court, and symbol of its judicial system. Hundreds of people are taken hostage, including almost all of Colombia s Supreme Court judges. The guerillas have a clear demand they want the President put on trial. The government refuses to negotiate, and the military open fire on the building. For 27 hours, the country is transfixed, as Bogotá s central plaza is transformed into a brutal and bloody battleground. When the dust settles, the majestic Palace is a smoldering shell, and close to a hundred people are dead, including 34 of the 35 M- 19 guerillas, along with eleven Supreme Court judges and many employees of the courts. Twelve others are unaccounted for their bodies cannot be found in the debris. Many believe they have been disappeared removed from the building by government forces, accused of aiding the M- 19, tortured, and then killed. 25 years later, Colonel Plazas Vega, one of the leaders of the military operation, has been charged with the disappearances. The Colonel protests his innocence, expressing outrage that so many years after the event, he has been isolated as a scapegoat. In the course of a highly charged trial, the lawyers, prosecutors and the judge all fear for their lives, traveling with armed guards, donning bulletproof clothing, and deflecting death threats. The case has captured the attention of the Colombian public and media. Both practically and symbolically it has become a touchstone for the integrity of justice in Colombia. La Toma follows the action- packed story of the day of the Siege of the Palace of Justice, and tracks the courtroom drama Colonel Plazas Vega s trial 25 years later to create a complex, politically- challenging, and ultimately highly- entertaining film. FILMMAKER S NOTE OF INTENT: Angus Gibson Although I have made films in a range of genres for over 30 years, the vast majority of my work has taken place in South Africa, dealing with South African content. When the opportunity presented itself to co- direct a documentary in Colombia, it was inspiring in many different ways: an entirely unknown world and set of experiences, and yet a range of parallels and comparables which are entirely familiar to me, having lived and worked in a developing world country traumatized by violence and conflict. Our experience in South Africa has been unique on many ways, but in others we share a vast and surprisingly familiar set of circumstances with a country such as Colombia. In the course of my work in South Africa, I have had the opportunity to collaborate with other directors on numerous occasions. Most often, this has involved working with younger, less experienced but very talented directors. My collaborations have generally been productive often generating textured films which clearly benefit from different inputs and perspectives. Working with Miguel Salazar has been a no exception. Miguel is a Colombian insider. He combines a fine aesthetic with an astute political perspective, and our ability to offer each other the value of our very different experiences will definitely benefit the film. Colombia is infinitely complex, and from a storytelling point of view, a film about Colombia needs to avoid the parochial one has to pare it down to its dramatic essences, to tell the big story in an accessible form, but also to create the space to bore into the universe you are representing, and present its complexities and textures. Working with Miguel, we can achieve both. This film concerns one of Colombia s quintessential narratives. It s a film which has not been able to be made before many have tried, but invariably have failed because violence and

6 intimidation have ruled the day. A combination of factors have allowed us to make the film - on the one hand the political environment is more conducive than it has been for the last 25 years, but on the other, the fact that it is an international production has created the space for us to make forays into political space that has been denied to others over the years. My exoticism and outsider status affords me some protection. I am convinced that this will be a brilliant film. Each of its elements is individually compelling: An extraordinary historical war drama, which in itself makes for a fascinating and entertaining film, and which is supported by exceptional archive. A contemporary court- room drama, with all the drama and intrigue of the best of the court- room drama. A compelling and colorful set of characters, each implicated in both narratives, and Stakes that couldn t get higher this is a story which not only deals with life and death on an ongoing basis, but in many ways the course of Colombia s history is resting on the outcome of this trial. We all know that a good story and good characters are essential for good filmmaking, but that great films need more than that often, filmmaking also requires luck being in the right place at the right time with the camera rolling. This is one of those films we found the perfect narrative vehicle through which to tell this story, and have been fascinated by the dramatic twists and turns as the trial has unfolded over the year we have filmed. Everything about our approach is geared towards a film which works cinematically and dramatically for both a Colombian and international audience. The product will be compelling viewing for those who are living the story on the streets of Bogota, as much as it is for those who know absolutely nothing about Colombian life and history. KEY CREDITS Directors: Angus Gibson and Miguel Salazar Executive Producers: Maritza Blanco Bruni Burres, David Jammy, Christoph Jörg Miguel Salazar Country of Production: Colombia/South Africa/Germany A co- production of PIVOT, RCN Cine, E- NNOVVA y ARTE Year of completion: 2011 Running time: 88 minutes siege.info