Zanzibar International Film Festival – Thursday, July 13, 2017

Alaksha (India) – They say to write what you know…and it appears that as digital cameras become ubiquitous, people write about cameras. In this case, the photographer bought a memory card with a murder video on it and he looks to return the camera to the victim’s family. The movie was okay. There was nothing wrong with it, but nothing special about it either. 6/10

As We See It (South Africa) – Rumors about the magical properties of the bodies of people with albinism are still strong in parts of Africa. This movie is about three (unrelated) generations of South Africans who have albinism that have found schools and jobs where they are treated as people with full rights instead of as curiosities. A well-done documentary that can help people understand the values of individuals. 8/10

Guangzhou Dream Factory (USA) – Africans go to Guangzhou, China, to make it big in business. But there are pitfalls and difficulties with obtaining visas and being treated fairly. Although one wants to sympathize with the people in the film, there is an element of “now you know some of the difficulties that foreigners who come to Africa deal with.” 6/10

Keepers of the Game (USA) – We were invited to this film as it was presented in part by the US Embassy in Dar. After the movie, the director spoke and told the audience that the movie was played on ABC primetime recently. And that is exactly what this movie is, a team of Native American teenage girls fight for their right to play the traditionally men’s game of lacrosse and the trials and tribulations of their season. The director took pride in the fact that people thought the story was fictional – everything fell in place too perfectly for me to appreciate the movie. 5/10

Uhuru (UK/Tanzania) – This is the first 10/10 movie of the festival. This movie is a collection of raw and real interviews with people who struggle, either personally, or through a personal connection, with disability in Tanzania. There is no narrator telling you how to feel or explaining what people mean, instead we hear the people speak for themselves. This movie is an excellent showing of the reality of disability. A must-watch. 10/10