T THE BIOSCOPE INDEPENDENT CINEMA 286 FOX STREET, CITY & SUBURBAN The Bioscope FILM + SCHOOL Series is a film awareness and appreciation initiative by the Bioscope Independent Cinema in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut South Africa. The central aims of the initiative are to introduce young learners to the art of filmmaking, to spark interest in a wide range of topics and to encourage discussion. The initial FILM+SCHOOL will explore African cinema with a focus on South African films and will run from October until the end of the 2010 school year for a total of 7 screenings. The film screenings are targeted at a younger audience (ages 10 17) and will take place every Wednesday at 11am. After the film screenings there will be an opportunity for discussion with film professionals and those involved in arts education. Workshops will also be on offer, using the film and ensuing discussion as a starting point for further creative engagement and discovery. PROGRAMMING Film is a powerful educational tool and the programming of the series has been designed to be as broad as possible to allow children an opportunity to engage in wide range of filmic genres and structures including fiction, documentaries and short and animated films. Through this programming strategy, learners will become familiar with the different modes of storytelling of the medium. DISCUSSIONS Using the films as a starting point, the screenings will involve discussions with the learners, encouraging them to interrogate both the subject matter raised in the films and the way in which the movie has been produced. In the first year, the selected films deal with various issues from explorations of South Africa s cultural heritage, history and youth culture to contemporary politics and xenophobia. Subsequent programming for next year will be dependent on the feedback of the starting phase and your input is highly appreciated.
FILM+SCHOOL will run every Wednesday throughout the school term and will be free of charge. The cinema holds 68 people and on request special screenings can be organized. Please find a screening schedule and film selection for the series attached. The Bioscope Independent Cinema is a new cinema project located in downtown Johannesburg with the main objective of celebrating and promoting the magic of cinema to as broad and diverse as possible an audience as possible. For bookings, please contact: Puleng Plessie on 076 253 2530 The Bioscope Contact Info: Darryl Els 084 4149312 286 Fox Street, Main Street Life, Johannesburg 2094 www.thebioscope.co.za PROGRAMME OVERVIEW SCREENING #1 Wednesday, 13th October SOUL BOY, Kenya, 70mins SCREENING #2 Wednesday, 20th October THE FLYER, South Africa, 90mins SCREENING #3 Wednesday, 27th October A SOUTH AFRICAN LOVE STORY WALTER & ALBERTINA SISULU, 63mins SCREENING #4 Wednesday, November 3 rd WHERE DO I STAND? South Africa, 37mins SCREENING #5 Wednesday November 10 th A-Z A COMMENTARY ON POST APARTHEID, South Africa, 50mins SCREENING #6 Wednesday November 17 th KIRIKOU AND THE SORCERESS, France, 70mins SCREENING #7Wednesday November 24 th PUMZI, Kenya, 20mins CHRISTMAS WITH GRANNY, South Africa, 26mins
SCHEDULE + FILM SELECTION FILMS MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE SCREENING #1 Wednesday, 13th October SOUL BOY Kenya, 2010, 70 min Director: Hawa Essuman Subtitles in English Age Group: 13 17 years Nairobi, Kenya. 14 year-old Abila lives with his parents in Kibera, Africa s largest slum. One morning the teenager discovers his father huddled in a corner, delirious and claiming that someone has stolen his soul. Abila is shocked and confused but wants to help his father and goes in search of a suitable cure. Supported by his friend Shiku, he learns that his father has gambled his soul away in the company of a spiritual woman. The teenager doesn t want to believe it and sets about looking for the witch. When he finds her in the darkest corner of the ghetto, she gives him seven challenging tasks to save his father s lost soul. Abila embarks on an adventurous journey which leads him right through the microcosm of his home town. SCREENING #2 Wednesday, 20th October THE FLYER Director: Revel Fox, South Africa, 2004, 91mins Language: English & Afrikaans Age Group: 10-17 years The Flyer is the heart-warming story of a young street kid who discovers a passion that will change his life forever. Kieren Jordaan is up to no good with his delinquent gang buddies when destiny intervenes. While trying to pick pocket an old trapeze trainer, Anders Larsen, our athletic Kieren gets caught and Anders drags him back to a warehouse and makes him work off his crime. Kieren scrubs and polishes the floors as he watches Anders trapeze artists fly. He observes them practice their intricate moves as they grace the sky and walk on air. His imagination has been captured. He has the right physical makeup to tackle this world and he has the passion of a true artist. Kieren pays off his debt but does not want to leave. He wants in but he knows his gang friends would never approve. This film is a triumphant tale of one boy who reaches beyond his place in the world to follow his heart s desire. SCREENING #3 Wednesday, 27th October A SOUTH AFRICAN LOVE STORY WATER & ALBERTINA SISULU Toni Strasburg South Africa, 2004, 63min. Theme: South African History Age Group: 13-17 years The touching story of Walter and Albertina Sisulu is not just a testament to the political endurance of one of South Africa s most celebrated couples. By reflecting a very private history that is integral to the political turmoil of South Africa in the 20th century, and showing the deep personal cost that brought South Africa to its current triumphant harmony, A South African Love Story offers a human perspective on some of the key moments in a resistance that sowed the seeds of the new nation
SCREENING #4 Wednesday, November 3rd WHERE DO I STAND? Documentary, South Africa, 2010, 37mins Director: Molly Blank Theme: Xenophobia Age Group: 10-17years When xenophobic attacks broke out across South Africa in May 2008, many found themselves caught off guard, shocked by violence that felt like a violation of the principles of their newly democratic nation. Where Do I Stand? is a window into the lives of seven young people who are thinking deeply about their actions during and after the violence, their communities, and the state of their country. They include a Rwandan refugee, a girl wrestling with the reality of foreigners in her township, a boy facing calls of cowardice by friends for not looting, and a suburban girl whose family sheltered their Malawian gardener.this violence was yet another challenge to a growing country still struggling with the legacy of apartheid extended poverty, unemployment, and racial and economic divisions. Where Do I Stand? captures the optimistic voices of youth trying to make sense of what they experienced and how they carve out their own places in this complex and divided nation. SCREENING #5 Wednesday November 10th A-Z A COMMENTARY ON POST APARTHEID Teboho Mahlatsi South Africa, 2001, 50 min. English, Afrikaans, Zulu, and Xhosa Theme: South African politics Age Group: 13-17years Commissioned by the Apartheid Museum, Johannesburg, South Africa, to make a 5-channel video installation, Mahlatsi travelled throughout the country to ask South Africans of all colours, religions, and walks of life to free associate with each letter of the alphabet. From hundreds of interviews, he has cut together a collage that illuminates the many faces of the new South Africa. SCREENING #6 Wednesday November 17 th KIRIKOU AND THE SORCERESS Director: Michel Ocelot France, 1998, 70mins Genre: Animation Theme: Storytelling, folktales Age Group: 10 17 years This animated film exquisitely recounts the tale of tiny Kirikou born in an African village in which Karaba the Sorceress has placed a terrible curse. Kirikou sets out on a quest to free his village of the curse and find out the secret of why Karaba is so wicked. KIRIKOU AND THE SORCERESS employs snappy visuals to tell a catchy story for all ages. A blend of African folktales Kirikou has both humor and flair. KIRIKOU depicts a precocious newborn infant who battles ignorance, and so-called evil, with endearing perseverance. This film speaks to the child within us all who yearns to express and defend the best in others and ourselves.
SCREENING #7Wednesday November 24th PUMZI Kenya, 2004, 20mins Director: Wanuri Kahiu Age Group: 10 17 years A Sci-Fi film set in a futuristic Africa, 35 years after World War III. Nature is extinct. Asha lives and works as a museum curator in an indoor community. When she receives a mysterious box containing soil, she has to find a way to investigate the possibility of life on the outside. This film was part of the New African Cinema Programme at Sundance 2010. CHRISTMAS WITH GRANNY Dumisani Phakhati South Africa, 2000, 26 min. English and Xhosa with English subtitles Themes: South African Culture/Heritage Age Group: 10-17 years Madlozi goes with his grandmother to be baptized in her faith. She is adamant that Madlozi adopt the culture of his forefathers, but he stubbornly resists. Their journey by train conjures scenes of segregated South Africa, juxtaposed to the anation¹s aspirations. Seen through Madlozi¹s eyes, his grandmother¹s traditions seem still too distant from his own future.