March 12, World View: New film perspectives on international development

March 12, World View:  New film perspectives on international development

Presented in partnership with Vues d’Afrique, Bridges that Unite premiers two new films:

The Little Princes and the School of Sand - (France) Documentary 54’ by Stéphanie Gillard, France.
For most nomadic children in North Africa school is but a distant dream. But for a very lucky group of Tuareg children in Mali this dream is about to become a reality. For a group of Tuareg trying to keep their traditional way of life as nomadic shepherds while participating in contemporary social changes, school has been a means of survival. The first-hand accounts of these children attest to the power of education.

The Manuscripts of Timbuktu - (South Africa) Documentary 52’ by Zola Maseko.
The discovery in Timbuktu of thousands of 13th and 14th Century manuscripts reveals that this part of the African continent was a great center where people of diverse horizons, came to acquire knowledge. The manuscripts offer new perspectives and reveal a little known side of Africa –rich in cultural diversity, but also scientific knowledge, including architecture, tradition, astrology, religion, geography, and mathematics.

Followed by:

Change in the Making, 27 mins (French subtitles)
In 2009, Canadian journalist and film-maker, Richard Phinney, returned to Northern Afghanistan after several years away to see how Canadian aid to remote communities is helping Afghans find peace and prosperity on their own terms.

You Can Bank on Me, 27 mins (English only)
This documentary film explores how microfinance programs are helping to unleash the entrepreneurial potential of poor communities in the developing world.  Through interviews with microfinance clients in Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Egypt, film-maker Richard Phinney documents how men and women are creating jobs where they are desperately needed, who in conditions of hardship refuse to be victims and who pay back their loans, with interest, on time, every time.

Let the Beauty We Love, 28 mins (English only)
The film journeys to the Islamic World to witness the work of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture: ancient villages and historic cities restored; abandoned monuments given new life; old skills relearned and new discoveries made; economically depressed communities revived; music and verse, once forgotten performed again, and: masterpieces of Islamic art on display for the first time.

Education for Life, 27 mins (English only)
A series of three short films about the Madrasa Early Childhood Programme in East Africa, The introductory film provides a glimpse for how this Canadian-supported program has enabled thousands of pre-schools to get a head start on education.  “Talking Walls” examines how the Madrasa Resource Centre in Kenya trains local women, who may have little formal education, to become teachers.   “Creating Confidence” looks at the importance of pre-school education for helping young children prepare for later learning and life.