Films with: Longinotto, Kim

Divorce Iranian style

Looks inside an Iranian divorce court and shows how women are treated under Islamic law.

DVD 8479

Dreamcatcher

"Dreamcatcher is a vibrant portrait of activist, and former teenage prostitute, Brenda Myers-Powell as she bravely advocates for change on the streets of Chicago, offering a way out of exploitation to prostitutes, and young rape victims. Dreamcatcher lays bare the hidden violence that devastates the lives of these young women, their families, and communities, as well as Brenda's unflinching intervention that turns these desperate lives around."--Website.

DVD 11693

Pink saris

The "Pink Gang" is a group of women who wear pink saris as a symbol of their revolt against their society. They are victims of domestic violence, rape and social exclusion. Their champion is Sampat Pal Devi, who takes up their cases of social injustice, often perpetrated by their husbands' extended families, with whom they're forced to live. Declaring 'women have nothing but their tears; what else do they have?', Sampat Pal has learned from experience. Once a child-bride and a victim of abuse herself, Sampat has no fear. She fought back and escaped the family, and now beleaguered women from throughout Uttar Pradesh seek her out, looking for the support and strength to do the same. Sampat Pal laudably takes up their causes, dramatically throwing herself into the middle of family dramas, yet for all her spirited righteousness, she can be forced to compromise in the face of the entrenched conventions and traditions she is railing against.

DVD 8247

Rough aunties

"Fearless, feisty and resolute, the 'Rough Aunties' are a remarkable group of women unwavering in their stand to protect and care for the abused, neglected and forgotten children of Durban, South Africa. This newest documentary by internationally acclaimed director Kim Longinotto (Sisters in Law, Divorce Iranian Style) follows the outspoken, multiracial cadre of Thuli, Mildred, Sdudla, Eureka and Jackie, as they wage a daily battle against systemic apathy, corruption and greed to help the most vulnerable and disenfranchised of their communities. Neither politics, nor social or racial divisions stand a chance against the united force of the women. Once again Longinotto has managed to bring us an intimate portrait of change from Africa, this time from the new post-apartheid South Africa, a nation being transformed with hope and energy into a new democracy"--Rough aunties website (http://roughaunties.com/film).

DVD 7351

Sisters in law

A documentary record of a courtroom in Kumba, Cameroon, where a female prosecutor and judge work to put an end to their community's tacit acceptance of child abuse, wife beating and rape.

DVD 4943