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Festival Films A-Z
Sisters in Law
Vixen Films
26 Balfour Road
London N5 2HE
England
Tel.: +44 20 73 59 73 68
E-Mail: tg@tgraham.demon.co.uk
Kim Longinotto
Oliver Huddleston
Vixen Films
26 Balfour Road
London N5 2HE
England
Tel.: +44 20 73 59 73 68
E-Mail: tg@tgraham.demon.co.uk
Ventura Film GmbH
Günterslebener Str. 26
97291 Thüngersheim
Deutschland
Tel.: +49 9364 896 124
Fax: +49 9364 896 173
E-Mail: ventura.film@snafu.de
Synopsis
In the small town of Kumba, Cameroon, two women resolute in revolutionising their community are making progress that could change the world. Captivating, heart-wrenching and at times comical, Sisters in Law trails state prosecutor Vera Nkwate Ngassa and court president Beatrice Ntuba as they help women fight cases of abuse, despite pressure from the family and community to remain silent. Members of a mostly Muslim community where women are considered second-class citizens, their mission is more than taxing.
Sisters in Law documents several stories, including that of six-year-old Manka, covered in scars, who has run away from an abusive aunt to whom she was entrusted; that of battered wife Amina, who bravely brings her violent husband to court despite the intense pressure to remain silent. It is the first time a man has been convicted of marital abuse and the case will set a precedent. And nine year-old Sonita daringly accuses a neighbour of rape.
With unwavering compassion, Ngassa and Ntuba dole out criticism, witticisms and justice, handing down stiff sentences to those convicted.
Do you see yourself as a feminist, an activist on a mission to help women fight tradition?
Vera Nkwate Ngassa: Definitely. As an African who believes in Africa, I understand quite a lot about our traditions. As a woman, I understand what it means for those traditions to be against you. And as a lawyer, I am in a position to tell women exactly what the law offers them. I don?t see myself as only a government official, I am on a mission, this is my life?s dream.
Tell us about being filmed for Sisters in Law. How did you meet Kim Longinotto?
Beatrice Ntuba: Actually, Kim came to Cameroon with Florence Ayisi, who is Cameroonian. I had gone to university with Florence. She contacted me, telling me of Kim doing positive stories on women -- Kim only does stories of women. They were tired of the stories in the West about Africa -- it is not all war, famine, AIDS and disaster. There are good things. Kim and Florence came to Cameroon, this 'man's world', to focus on women and children. So, I was immediately interested. Because that is what it is all about, seeing that women and children get out away from where they have been placed by this society and brought up to where they are supposed to be.
Interview: Satya Magazine
Biography
Kim Longinotto Hidden Faces (1991}, The Good Wife of Tokyo (1992), Tragic but Brave (1994), Divorce Iranian Style, (1998), Gaea Girls (2000), The Day I Will Never Forget (2002)
Florence Ayisi Reflections (2003, Co-Regie), My Mother: Isange (2005)
Filmography
Kim Longinotto Hidden Faces (1991}, The Good Wife of Tokyo (1992), Tragic but Brave (1994), Divorce Iranian Style, (1998), Gaea Girls (2000), The Day I Will Never Forget (2002)
Florence Ayisi Reflections (2003, Co-Regie), My Mother: Isange (2005)
Dates
| 24 | 03.10.2007 | 19:30 | Festsaal |
| 98 | 10.10.2007 | 19:15 | Festsaal |