SHORT FILM ABOUT ABAHLALI BASEMJONDOLO WINS AWARD AT PANGEA DAY
19/05/2008

‘Dear Mandela’, a short film about Abahlali baseMjondolo, has been chosen out of 2500 entries from over 100 countries to be one of 34 films featured on the Pangea Day website, a global hub that seeks to bring the world together through the power of film. Filmmakers Dara Kell and Christopher Nizza spent a week with Abahlali baseMjondolo in December 2007. They produced a short film so that a worldwide audience could learn about the plight, and the fight, of the shackdwellers.

‘Dear Mandela’ was awarded the ‘Outstanding Filmmaker Award’ representing Africa. The award includes a $5,000 grant towards the production of the full-length documentary film, which we are presently fundraising for. We plan to return to South Africa to film for a longer period of time, to capture the scope and complexity of the situation. Here’s an excerpt from the Pangea Day press release:

PARTICIPANT MEDIA AND PANGEA DAY ANNOUNCE THE FIVE WINNING ENTRIES IN THE “OUTSTANDING FILMMAKERS AWARDS PROGRAM” The winners, one from each of the following continents – North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia (including Australia) – were announced this evening in Santa Monica, CA. “Each of the five winning films is an outstanding example of the kind of cinematic storytelling that reflects Participant’s mission to inspire and compel social change,” said Jim Berk, CEO of Participant Media. “On behalf of Participant, I’d like to congratulate all five filmmakers for their remarkable achievements and look forward to seeing the treatments that will be competing for the development grant.”

Thanks to Participant Media for recognizing the powerful story of Abahlali baseMjondolo. Many thanks to our wonderful crew in Durban, to all those who filmed with us, and to Fazel Khan and Sally Giles for sharing their footage. The international recognition for ‘Dear Mandela’ is affirmation that the story of the Shackdwellers Movement is one that will inspire the action necessary to end the unacceptable conditions in South Africa.

To see the film, go to http://www.pangeaday.org/pangeadayFilms.php

Dara Kell
PH: 917-749-8002