The Cinema Vietnam-project came to be after a call from the Cape Winelands District Municipality for a touristic event with an emphasis on local community empowerment. A series of open air film screenings took place in the heart of the Mooiwater township in Franschhoek, South-Africa in January 2012. The former informal settlement “Vietnam”, where a majority of the inhabitants of Mooiwater used to live, inspired the name of the event.
Poster for the first edition of Cinema Vietnam, inspired by Pumzi actress Kudzani Moswela.
Loud-hailing the program of the event.
Sketchup drawing of the event set-up with stalls, seats, projection, sound and screen.
Screening of the South-African epic Shaka Zulu at Cinema Vietnam.
Caribbean Nights by Jo Menell and Charles Chabot, South-Africa, 1986, 126’ An intimate look into the life and times of Bob Marley, featuring original interviews with family and friends, unique footage of music performances and the visit of Haile Selassie to Jamaïca…
Shaka Zulu by William C. Faure, South Africa, epic drama, 1986, 50’ Compilation of the classic SABC mini-series Shaka Zulu.
La Noire de… (Black Girl) by Ousmane Sembène Senegal, feature film (50 min.), drama, 1966 Sembène’s debut feature made a profound impression at international film-festivals in 1966. This powerful drama about a Senegalese woman, who accompanies her employers to the French Riviera, puts a glaring spotlight on the myth of decolonisation. *Jean Vigo Price 1966, Cinema of France
Pumzi by Wanuri Kahiu Kenya/South Africa, short-film (20 min.), 2010. In a futuristic Africa, 35 years after World War III or ‘The Water War’, all natural life is extinct. Asha is a curator at a virtual natural history museum in the Maitu Community, located in the Eastern Africa territory. When she receives a box in her mail containing soil, she decides to plant a seed in it… A futuristic thriller and a visual ode to the beauty of life.
When We Were Kings by Leon Gast, USA/DRC, feature documentary, 1996, 89’ The legendary documentary about the historic ‘Rumble in the Jungle’-boxing event on October 30 in Kinshasa, then Zaïre, pitching heavy weight Mohammed Ali against then world champion George Foreman; accompanied by a soundtrack casting some of the world’s greatest musicians of the time… *Academy Award 1996 for Best Documentary Feature
Skeem, by Tim Greene, South Africa, comedy/action, 2011, 93’ Forced to spend the night at a creepy old holiday resort, two wannabe gangsters run into trouble when, unpacking the car, their box of cash splits open, spilling a million bucks in eye-catching bundles all over the driveway...
Fire in Babylon, by Stevan Riley, UK, feature documentary, 2010, 120’ The documentary about the legendary West-Indies cricket team of the 1970’s stands for striking cricket-footage, a gripping story and great reggae sound-track. *Audience Award for best documentary at Durban International Film Festival 2011
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The 'affiche' for the 2012 edition was designed with the specific township location and a mixed target audience of tourists and locals in mind.
