2nd Annual
Women's Film Festival
WOMEN AND WAR
Slide Show

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Human Cargo (2:00 - 2:50 pm - followed by discussion)

"Nobody wants to be a refugee," says David Morley of Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders). Yet for as long as there have been borders, there have been people who flee across them, running from war, persecution and natural disaster. "Human Cargo" takes us on the refugees’ journey from the initial horror of war and the destruction of their homes and their lives, to flights across borders, to the refugee camps and for the few, emigration to the West. But this is not a fairytale, and the West is not always the "happily ever after" we would all like to believe. This film is an unflinching look at the world of refugees and the people who choose to help them or to exploit them. And who are most refugees? Women and children, whose husbands and fathers have died in conflicts and wars. Bayo Akinfemi, who plays the part of a Burundian refugee, gives a haunting performance that is imbued with his own experiences of immigration. We are delighted that he will be here in Montclair to discuss the film with our audience.

"Akinfemi is haunting as Buntu. He may possess the most expressive eyes on TV, letting viewers feel every ounce of fear or pain that his character experiences…"
      Alison Cunningham, Canada.com/tvtimes

Directors Guild of Canada Awards, 2004**
Best Director, Movie or Miniseries ● Best Team Achievement, Movie or Miniseries

Rockie Awards, Banff International Television Festival
Nominee, Best Miniseries (With "Angels in America," "State of Play," and 'Alibi")

Leo Awards: Excellence in British Columbia Film and Television

Best Television Series ●  Best Writing, Television Series ● Best Editing, Television Series ● Best Supporting Actor, Television Series - Zak Santiago Nominee, Best Director ● Nominee, Best Supporting Actor ● Nominee, Best Cinematography ● Nominee, Best Score ● Nominee, Best Costumes ● Nominee, Best Production Design ● Nominee, Best Sound, Television Series ● Nominee, Best Overall Sound, Television Series

Rheims, France Intl Television Festival
Human Cargo, Invitee in Competition, March 2005

Writers Guild of Canada
Best Screenplay, Movie or Miniseries, Nominee
 

Darfur Too Dark Too Far  (3:30 - 4:45 pm - followed by discussion)

We are honored to be screening the work-in-progress documentary, “Darfur Too Dark Too Far”. This is Newark filmmaker Hafiz Farid’s most recent work that includes footage from Darfur and other parts of the Sudan. The documentary reveals the grave situation in Darfur and links it to other historic human atrocities. Mr. Farid’s riveting and most authentically bold documentary focuses on both the devastation in Darfur, particularly on women and children, and America’s response to that genocide. The film includes footage from our own Montclair Rally for Darfu, held at Watchung Plaza last August.

Hafiz Farid’s Newark roots go back five generations. A writer and poet since childhood, he went on to study communications at West Virginia University and Fairmont University. He also studied filmmaking at New York University. He has published various magazine articles, developed talent, managed a hip-hop group and produced
music videos, commercials and short films. Farid wrote and narrated the documentary film about Tupac Shakur entitled Thug Angel produced by Quincy Jones. He is also the founder and executive director of a not for profit youth organization known as Nocane, Inc. a crime and substance abuse prevention program.

Mr. Farid is a world renowned filmmaker whose film “Pillar of Salt: The Angry Woman’s Syndrome” was awarded best documentary and best directorial debut at the New York International Film Festival and was the hit of last year’s women’s film festival
 

Hafiz Farid has recently been chosen to compete in the Prai Film Festival in Ghana, which celebrates the best films of the African Diaspora. Mr. Farid will be honored along with six other filmmakers from around the world. We are delighted that Mr. Farid will personally present his documentary in progress “Darfur Too Dark Too Far” at the Women’s Film Festival and will lead a discussion post-screening.

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