22 April 2004

Ten Years of Freedom: Films from the New South Africa, a week-long festival running at Clearview's Lincoln Center cinema at Broadway & 62nd Street from April 27 to 2 May, aims both to create a showcase for emerging South African filmmakers and to demonstrate to Americans the complexity of South Africa's developing democracy.

Presented by The Documentary Campaign with support from Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the festival will be the largest celebration in the United States of the 10th anniversary of the election of Nelson Mandela, which marked the death of apartheid and inaugurated the first 10 years of South African freedom.

The festival, opening to the public on South Africa's Freedom Day, April 27, features 43 films over six nights, covering documentaries, features, shorts and animation - and including world, US and New York premieres, highlighting the work of a new generation of South African filmmakers.

Films featured in the festival include:

• "A Lion's Trail", the story of one of the most recorded songs in history, "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", which left its originator penniless after an American songwriter stole the rights. Guest Pete Seeger will make a special announcement following the screening.
• "The Guguletu Seven", an investigation into the killing of seven black men in apartheid South Africa.
• "Karoo Kitaar Blues", a delightful trip into the world of South African music in the tradition of "The Buena Vista Social Club".
• "Cosmic Africa", about one of South Africa's first black astronomers, Thebe Medupe (presented with the Hayden Planetarium at the AMNH LeFrak Theater - Medupe will be present for a Q&A; session).
• "The Sky in her Eyes", a short film about a young girl coping with losing her mother to Aids.
• For the full line-up, click here.

Ten Years of Freedom was organised by South African political analyst and journalist Sean Jacobs, The Documentary Campaign project coordinator Danny Massey, and Emmy-award nominated screenwriter and filmmaker Lawrence Konner.

The festival's co-presenting organisations include: The American Museum of Natural History, the South African National Film and Video Foundation, the South African Department of Arts and Culture, the New York State AFL-CIO, New York University, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, the South African Consulate-General New York, Shared Interest, and Virgin Atlantic Airways.

Tickets are $10, student, senior and union member tickets are $8.

For more information, visit Ten Years of Freedom

SouthAfrica.info reporter

	DV8: putting SA films on the map Turning junk into cinema magic Amandla! - singing down apartheid Role reversal in Hijack Stories Country of My Skull - the movie Kwaito's looking sharp! Rediscovering African starlore Nine South African families SA film honoured at disability fest Cape Town & SA film: take one Cannes success for SA's 'Slash'

	Films from the New South Africa  The Documentary Campaign  National Film & Video Foundation  Dept of Arts & Culture  SA Consulate General, New York

10 Years of Freedom: South Africa 1994-2004 Looking back on 10 years of freedom. Looking forward to a future Alive with Possibility.