Father Geek here with the 66th issue of the Africa-AICN column. You can find them all and more Africa related news stories by going to the box marked "More AICN" on the left of the front page. Click and a menu will pop up, click on Africa-AICN and an index of all related articles will appear, then its just finding the ones you're most interested in clicking on them and enjoying the wealth of info Dr. SOTHA, Rigobert Song, and yes, even Nurse Hollis have given us over the last year and ahalf. Meanwhile, Click Here For Your Chance To By FATHER GEEK Baseball Hats and Baggy Boxer Shorts!!! You'll Age Happily!!!

Father Geek was sent the following tidbit this week that I now pass along to you...

See a satellite image of the "Survivor" camp in Kenya, taken Aug 13, 2001.
It shows their village and all the production facilities.

http://www.spaceimaging.com/gallery/survivor/survivor.htm

- Robot Bastard

Man those spycams are pretty cooool! Here's SOTHA...

DR.SOTHA back for number 66 in the Africa-AICN series. I’d like to dedicate this column to myself. I am a Doctor who has won numerous awards at various slash-and-gouge incision ceremonies, as well as taking top medicine experimentalist at the psycho-ward psychedelia event held in Maputo – Mozambique. Why this sudden need for affirmation you ask, well I’ll tell’ya. Some nurse bitch at the wards tried to override one of my commands in the middle of a rabbit claw transplant. Let me say this loud and clear, any acts of insubordination in my wards are forbidden. Said Nurse is now milking cows in Mali.

If you have something negative to say about me, don’t bother e-mailing me at africaaicn@hotmail.com lest you feel the wrath of cow-backlash in the dusty plains of Mali.

Nurse Hollis, let that be a lesson to you…

SOUTH AFRICA

* The week-long Film Festival Against Racism "took communities in and around Durban by storm" according to its organisers. They maintain it was probably the most successful cultural component of the Department of Arts and Culture Science and Technology (DACST)-organised cultural programme during the World Conference Against Racism. A total number of 56 feature films and documentaries were screened for free to the public, including Conference delegates from 29 August to 7 September. Over 11 000 people attended the film screenings and many took part in post-screenings panel facilitated discussions, dealing with an array of issues and themes ranging from threats of globalisation, racial representation to misrepresentation in the international film and television industry. Poverty, landlessness, and reparations panellists included local and international guest filmmakers, Dr Lionel Ngakane, Ingrid Gavshon, Zola Maseko, Dingi Ntuli and Heile Gerima.

* I’m not sure whether to be happy that South Africa is getting involved in an animated feature, or saddened that it happens to be a ‘Barbie Doll’ project? Created in 1959 as a paper-doll inspired friend, Barbie has evolved time and time again. Now Barbie has embarked on a film career with the launch of the first-ever feature length animated movie, Barbie in the Nutcracker. KTV has scooped the pre-launch of the movie and will screen it on Heritage Day, September 24 at 7:00. The 75-minute motion-capture CGI feature, produced by Mainframe Entertainment Inc, will be released on video worldwide in October and will launch in Los Angeles at the end of September. South Africa will be the first country in the world to premier this special.

* DO Productions' Marlow de Mardt and Brigid Olen, the South African producers of the South African feature film, Malunde, report a very favourable response to the film at this year's Toronto International Film Festival. Malunde was screened in The Planet Africa category and was one of the "critics' picks". It was quoted as having "Best foreign-Language film Oscar" written all over it. (The reference to foreign language is due to the colloquial South African speak and some Afrikaans.) Another noted quote was - "Best film to come out of South Africa so far". Malunde has also been accepted at the Tokyo Festival in October and will go on theatrical release in Germany in December. The producers are presently in discussion with Ster-Kinekor for a South African release. Malunde will be the closing film at the Durban International Film Festival on 30 September. (I wouldn’t read too much into those obscure quotes/sound! bi! tes – DR.SOTHA)

* Theo Voss-Price's application to the Chesterfield Film Company's The Writer's Film Project (WFP) has been chosen to advance to the semi-finalist round. This year the California-based project received several thousand applications from writers around the world. The project has the support of Paramount Pictures and an industry board comprised of top professional filmmakers. Winners will be notified by the end of October. The WFP was initiated by Steven Spielberg at Amblin Entertainment in 1990. Johannesburg writer Voss-Price entered four pieces - a stage play, two short screenplays and a short story. According to WFP executive director, Edward Rugoff, the quality of the submissions was outstanding, making the selection process very difficult.

* The Second Swissair International Film Festival showcases 18 of the world' best films. It is currently underway at the Cinema Nouveau Rosebank until 4 October and is presented in association with the French Embassy in South Africa, the Swiss Tourist Office, and Ster-Kinekor. Swissair presents within the festival a retrospective of Marcello Mastroianni, Italy's most famous actor and star of some 70 films. Check press for details.

* Due to the recent tragedies in United States and the ripple effect it has had on international markets, Ster-Kinekor Pictures has informed the press and public that there may be delays in receiving movie prints, trailers, posters and publicity materials from US-based studios. At this stage there are no shipments leaving the US and there is a remote possibility that some films' release dates may be affected over the next few weeks. The Columbia Tristar film Spider-Man, due for release in 2002, has already shut down its website and re-called all marketing material. Certain scenes based around the World Trade Towers will be re-shot in the coming months.

* A handsome total of independent films has been entered in the first Apollo Award contest. Reflecting their diverse origins, the films promise to add lively spice to an already stimulating movie programme in Victoria West.

Apollo Film Festival 2001

INDEPENDENT FILM AWARDS PROGRAMME

A total of 34 films have been entered into the competition under the following categories: Documentary 10; Experimental 2; Feature 6; Short 5; Student 11. These films will be shown as indicated hereunder.

DON'T MISS THIS FEAST OF THE VERY BEST OF SA FILMS

Sunday 30 Sep: 20.00
Documentary. Get Down - The Kwaito Story. Ernie Vosloo. BetaSP. 52 mins
Short. Christmas with Granny. Dumisani Phakhati. BetaSP. 26 mins
Documentary. The Guguletu Seven. Lindy Wilson. BetaSP.105 mins

Monday 1 Oct: 20.00
Short. Portrait of a Young Man Drowning. Teboho Mahlatsi. BetaSP.11 mins
Documentary. Ochre and Water. Joelle Chesselet & Craig Mathew. VHS. 53 mins
Documantary. Dancing with God. Paul Weinberg & Heleen Verwey. BetaSP. 26 mins
Feature. Chikin Biznis. Ntshaveni Wa Luruli. 35mm. 96 mins

Tuesday 2 Oct: 09.00
Experimental. Africa in New York. Damon & Cr! ai! g Voster. VHS. 13 mins
Student. Between Brothers. First Television School. VHS. 18 mins
Student. Holy Water. Carmen Sangion. BetaSP. 12 mins
Student. Company of Heaven. First Television School. VHS. 18 mins
Student. Just Between You and Me. Matie Productions. VHS. 10 mins
Student. No Sir, I'm Not on the Menu. Caroline Duck. BetaSP.15 mins
Student. Story of an Albany Farm. First Television School. VHS. 18 mins

20.00
Feature. Pure Blood. Kenneth Kaplan. BetaSP. 96 mins
Feature. The Sexy Girls. Russell Thompson. 35mm. 96 mins

Wednesday 3 Oct: 09.15
Short. Old Wife's Tale. Dumisani Phakhati. BetaSP. 26 mins
Documentary. Gariep River People. David Moore. BetaSP. 52 mins
Documentary. Together We Can... Jacqueline Fox. BetaSP. 28 mins
Documentary. Africa Unbottled. Damon & Craig Foster. VHS. 54 mins
Feature. God is African. Akin Omotoso. BetaSP. 100 mins

Thursday 4 Oct: 09.00
Experimental. Die Pienk Gevaar. Robert S! il! ke. DVD. 4 mins
Student. Screwed. Petro de Bruto. VHS. 33 mins
Student. The Confidant. Buks Rossouw. BetaSP. 15 mins
Student. Little Town Legend. First Television School. VHS. 18 mins
Student. Shifa - Viva la Diva. Sharmeela Essack & Adriana Bevilacqua. BetaSP. 15 mins Student. Crossing Borders. First Television School. VHS. 18 mins
Short. Line of Fire. Gregg Watt. BetaSP. 17 mins
Feature. Night Slave. John Parr. BetaSP. 70 mins
Documentary. Scorched Earth. Herman Binge. BetaSP. 107 mins

Friday 5 Oct: 09.15
Short. Angel. Barry Berk. BetaSP. 26 mins
Documentary. The Furiosus. Liza Key. BetaSP. 52 mins
Documentary: Ingrid Jonker - Her Lives and Time. Helena Noguiera. BetaSP. 110 mins Feature. The Great Dance. Damon & Craig Foster. 35mm. 78 mins

* Rush Hour II remains at the top of the South African box office during its second week of release, having made R5 485 182. It is followed by new entry, What's The Worst That Can Happen, Planet of the Apes, Bridget Jones' Diary and The Wedding Planner.

NORTH AFRICA

* The Pan African Film & Arts Festival (PAFF) is currently accepting submissions for its 10th Anniversary Festival, which will take place in Los Angeles, California, from 7 to 18 February 2002. PAFF is America's largest and most prestigious film festival showcasing over 75 black films from the United States, Africa, the Caribbean, South America, the South Pacific, Europe and Canada. PAFF exhibits narrative and documentary features and shorts made by or about people of African descent and accepts film and videos in all genres. Awards are given for Best Narrative Feature, Best Documentary, Best Narrative Short, Jury Prize, Audience Favourite, Director's Choice, Best First Feature and Best New Acting Talent. Submission deadline is 31 October. No submission fee. For more info email lapaff@aol.com or visit www.PAFF.! or! g.

* Rigobert Song for your pleasure:

You want power and intensity in a documentary about black empowerment, then look no further than "The Road to Brown – The Man who killed Jim Crow". It chronicles a startling series of cases that led to the legal equality for black people in the early 20th Century. Remember to email me at rigobertsong@hotmail.com with your love stories of African cinema. On with the review:

The Road to Brown - The Man Who Killed Jim Crow 56 minutes

The Road to Brown is the story of segregation and the brilliant legal assault on it which launched the Civil Rights movement. It is also a moving and long overdue tribute to a visionary but little known black lawyer, Charles Hamilton Houston, "the man who killed Jim Crow." The Road to Brown plunges us into the nightmare world of Jim Crow which robbed former slaves of the rights granted by the 14th and 15th Amendments. Under the "separate but equal" doctrine of the Supreme Court's 1896 Plessey v. Ferguson decision, black citizens were denied the right to vote, to attend white schools, to get sick in white hospitals or to be buried in white cemeteries. Those who objected were liable to be lynched.

Charles Houston, the first black editor of the Harvard Law Review, dean of Howard University Law School and chief counsel to the NAACP, launched a number of precedent-setting cases which targeted segregated education as the key to undermining the entire Jim Crow system. We see clips from a devastating film Houston himself shot in 1934 documenting separate but unequal schooling. Interviews with his associates recount how Houston, eschewing the limelight himself, energized a generation of black jurists including future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marsall - to wage the struggle against segregation. He taught: "A lawyer is either a social engineer or he is a parasite on society."

Houston died tragically in 1950, just four years before the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision validated his strategy. In a moving climax, the film recapitulates the arguments before the Court, Justice Warren's opinion striking down Plessy, the jubilant reactions of black America, and the string of legal and legislative victories which followed. Moving from slavery to civil rights, The Road to Brown provides a concise history of how African-Americans finally won full legal equality under the Constitution. Its depiction of the interplay between race, law and history adds a crucial dimension to courses in U.S. History, Black Studies, Constitutional Law, Law & Society, Social Movements and Government. The example of Charles Houston's determination will inspire today's students to take America further down the long road to social justice. The precedent-s! et! ting cases Houston waged during the 1930s, to the final posthumous 1954 triumph of Brown v. Board of Education. In so doing, this film provides a concise history of how African Americans struggled for full legal equality under the constitution. Some quotes after it was released: "Enlightening...Makes legal history come alive." Choice

* Acclaimed Ethiopian filmmaker, Haile Gerima, has accepted an invitation to become the patron of Johannesburg's Newtown Film and Television School (NFTS). Gerima, a long time supporter of the school said he was honoured to accept the patronage. Gerima was last week involved in a programme of film-related activities in conjunction with the NFTS and the month-long Arts Alive cultural programme in Gauteng. Gerima, who has made films such as the legendary Sankofa (1995) and more recently, Adwa (1999/2000), is widely respected for his outspoken views on the creation and ownership of African images on screen and for his academic work in African film.

AFRICAN AMERICAN

* Mekhi Phifer ("O") and Brittany Murphy ("Girl, Interrupted") will star in Universal Pictures' "The Untitled Detroit Project" directed by Curtis Hanson for Brian Grazer's Imagine Entertainment. The project, which begins shooting Oct. 18 in Detroit, stars multiplatinum recording artist Eminem in his first feature acting role. "Detroit" is described as an honest and provocative fictional examination of a critical month in the life of a young man named Jimmy (Eminem) as he searches for identity and a sense of purpose. Murphy will play Jimmy's girlfriend Alex, while Phifer will play Future, Jimmy's close buddy who encourages him to keep going despite the odds. Giovanni Ribisi came aboard the project earlier this month to play Wink, a Caucasian rapper.

* LL Cool J will star opposite Gabrielle Union in USA Films' romantic comedy "Deliver Us From Eva" for writer-director Gary Hardwick. Shooting is scheduled to start in mid-October, with Baltimore/Spring Creek Pictures producing. "Eva" centers on three men who pay a born ladies' man (LL Cool J) $5,000 to go out with their meddling sister-in-law Eva (Union). After a disastrous first date, the unlikely pair begin to fall for each other, much to the chagrin of the three accomplices. The script, which Hardwick rewrote, was written originally by Barbara Brauner and James Mattson.

* Will Smith and Muhammed Ali came together on live television Friday night to teach Americans not to hate all Muslims in the light of the recent suicide bombings. Smith, who portrays the boxing giant in the biopic of his life, urged Americans to respond to these horrific crimes in an appropriate way. He says, "It was hate, not religion, that caused this. And in the wake of these events nothing could be more un-American to respond with hate and blind vengeance." Then Ali, who very rarely speaks in public, added, "I'm here because of the terrible thing that happened the other day, all Muslims are against it. People should know the real truth about Islam. I wouldn't be here to represent Islam if it was really like the terrorists make it look. Islam is peace, against killing, murdering and the terrorists and if I had the chance I'd do something about it." (Ali never ceases to inspire me – DR.SOTHA)

* Vin Diesel will earn more than $11 million to star as the lead character in The Chronicles Of Riddick, the sequel to the 2000 sci-fi film Pitch Black. Chronicles, which has yet to find a director, will be released in the summer of 2003. The in-demand actor was still in talks late on Tuesday to take up the role. He had been considering a rival offer to play the title role in Daredevil, a Fox adaptation of the Marvel Comics serial about a blind lawyer who becomes a superhero. He instead chose to reprise the Riddick role he originated in the David Twohy-directed Pitch Black.

* American actress Gabrielle Union is set to headline writer/director Gary Hardwick’s romantic comedy Deliver Us From Eva. The movie, scheduled to start filming this month, marks a reteaming of Union and Hardwick. The Bring It On actress starred earlier this year in Hardwick's directorial debut, The Brothers. Union will star as the title character in Eva, which centers on three young men who grow tired of constant meddling from their perfectionist sister.

* Actress Bette Midler drew tears with her rendition of Wind Beneath My Wings as she paid tribute to the victims of the September 11th terrorist attacks. The service held at New York's Yankee Stadium on Sunday was also attended by Oprah Winfrey. The talk show queen joined Midler in speaking for the need to move from suffering to strength. Oprah later drew cheers when she said from the podium, "God Bless New York." Legendary Ray Charles also attended the service and sang America, The Beautiful and Christopher Reeve spoke, stressing the need for strength in the face of sorrow. (Seems Midler can be useful from time to time – DR.SOTHA)

* In a pre-emptive bid, MGM has paid mid-six figures for the comedy pitch "Marvin" from writer-director Gary Hardwick ("The Brothers") that studio-based Landscape Entertainment will produce. Hardwick will write the project, which is about a young, upper class groom-to-be who spends a night in jail after an embarrassing run-in with the law. While there, he ends up seeking the protection of Marvin, a fast-talking con man also in the lockup. In return, the man promises to help Marvin get back on his feet upon the con man's release. When Marvin gets out much sooner than anticipated, the groom-to-be finds keeping his end of the bargain to be more difficult than he could ever have imagined. Landscape's Michael Birnbaum, who developed the pitch with Hardwick before bringing it to MGM, is producing the project. Landscape's Kery Harris, who brought the project to the company, will co-produce.

DR.SOTHA REVO & OUT