Mambéty describes what would be his final film as “a hymn to the courage of street children,” but like all of his works, it is also a hymn to Senegal, to post-colonial Africa and to resourceful visionaries like the courageous girl of the title. Undaunted by poverty or handicap, the young Sili Laam leaves her blind grandmother begging in the street to seek out a better existence for them both. As the only female newspaper seller, she encounters constant obstacles along the way, yet reacts by simply standing up for herself and others. Nonchalantly fighting for equality and justice, Sili’s courage and resilience are depicted with a mix of joy and hardship, but no saccharine.
Tag: 1990s
A young Pennsylvania man moves to Los Angeles to begin work for an ambulance service. There he is teamed with a supremely confident vet who seemingly has gone through a large number of partners. Initially the novice is awed by the more experienced man’s capabilities to deal with the high pressure situations they encounter. However, gradually he discovers that all is not as it seems. While the vet is ice on the surface, he actually gets through the ordeals by heavy drug use and avoids commitments. Soon the younger man finds himself pulled into the same world and has to decide what direction he wants to take.
A comedy short in which a young woman has her clothes stolen at the beach, and needs to get hold of something to cover herself without being seen.
These film clips tell the story of the human experience of living with HIV/AIDS. People with HIV/AIDS, their husbands and wives, their families, their doctors and health workers talk about how HIV/AIDS has affected their lives. These are the personal video stories from Cameroon and Zimbabwe in which people speak out about their hopes and fears, their struggle against pain and abandonment and their fight for greater awareness and understanding. The film challenges stereotypes and calls for a concerted effort to face up to the epidemic.
The first US film to be made under the Dogme 95 vow of chastity, Harmony Korine’s follow up to the controversial ‘Gummo’ tells the story of schizophrenic Julien, his pregnant sister Pearl, and their pedantic, over-bearing father. Using handheld digital cameras, Korine gathers together a series of disparate incidents in the life of the family – Julien’s friendship with a young blind figure-skater, Pearl’s masquerade as her and Julien’s dead mother, their brother’s training as wrestler, a visit to a gospel meeting – while slowly and subtly building towards a tragic climax.
Maya, a New York artist and model, meets Joe, a drifter. They begin a passionate affair. On an impromptu trip to visit Joe’s sister in the country, Joe’s inner demons begin to surface. Maya tries to help and eventually struggles to hold on as Joe becomes increasingly unstable.
Combining documentary authenticity with subtle fantasy, Danish directors Stefan Fjeldmark and Karsten Kiilerich explore children’s attitudes and vague conceptions about death.