Insights into women´s worlds 2003Guests of the Film Festival 2003Ulrike BaurUlrike Baur works as a free lance journalist and film-maker. She studied Politics, German and Romance philology. She worked for the protestant news service (“Evangelischer Pressedienst”) and the broadcasting station “Süddeutscher Rundfunk “ in Stuttgart. In 1990 she was awarded the German radio prize „Hörfunkpreis der Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft der Wohlfahrtsverbände“. Since 1989 Ulrike Baur has directed various documentaries for the TV channels ARD, ZDF, 3SAT, and ARTE. In her films she concentrates on topics such as racism, exile and migration, war and its long-term effects. Since 1993 she has visited the Balkan countries and its regions of conflict several times. In her films Ulrike Baur tells about culprits, victims, and refugees, about those who stayed at home and about helpers, who are stranded themselves. She observes everyday life “behind the front” – also of young people and children – in regions, which become increasingly divided by real as well as by imaginary borders. Ulrike Baur directed, among others, the following films:
Anwar JamalAnwar Jamal supported himself through free lance journalism for his Masters in Hindi Literature, and later in Mass Communications. While studying, he actively supported Anand Patwardhan, a well-known documentary film maker, and worked on three of his films. Anwar's first independent documentary was "The Call of Bhagirathi", on the question of development and big dams. This film was selected in the Indian Panorama, and won the first National Award as Best Investigative Film, in 1992. Anwar Jamal has done a series of sensitive biographies, for National Television, on various Hindi writers and and poets: Upendra Nath Ashk, Baba Nagarjuna, Hari Shankar Parsai, and Ale Ahmed Suroor. He has produced and directed "Zinda Itihaas", a series on living cultural legends in India. He has also produced independent documentaries, "The Women Betrayed", "Sonamaati", and "Kol Tales", all of which received national and international awards. Anwar Jamal has recently finished his first fiction feature film on the experience of women in panchayats, called "Swaraaj' (“The Little Republic”), produced by the Institute of Social Sciences. He has recently established a Trust called Film Trust India, for supporting independent cinema. backElke JonigkeitElke Jonigkeit studied Graphic Arts, Painting, History of Arts, and Art Education in Braunschweig and Düsseldorf. For ten years she worked as an arts teacher in Düsseldorf. During that time she presented various arts exhibitions in Germany as well as abroad. 1979 she founded Circe-Film Company. Besides managing her company Elke Jonigkeit works as a fee lance film-maker and artist. In 1986 she started her Afghanistan project, which today comprises six TV documentaries, one feature length documentary, the award winning film "Frauen von Kabul", and a photo exhibition on women in Afghanistan. In addition to her films Elke Jonigkeit established an aid project for Afghan women and children in need. Together with Afghan and German women she founded an association called "NAZO", working in Afghanistan and Germany. The women portrayed in the film "Frauen von Kabul" helped to establish working opportunities for widows. With her photo exhibition on Afghan women Elke Jonigkeit provided a financial basis for her aid project. back
Franziska MüllerFranziska Müller studied History, History of Arts, and Media Sciences. Additionally, she did a diploma in Gender Studies, Arts, Media, and Design. She worked for ten years as a cultural editor and journalist. Currently, she is working for the cfd ("Christian peace service") and is able to document very closely how Palestinian and Israeli women organisations develop alternative peace strategies. She co-operates with them in various ways, including film-making.
Beate NeuhausBeate Neuhaus studied German Philology and History in Berlin. She worked as a lecturer at the University of Bremen and at the Film Academy in Munich. Beate Neuhaus shot a number of independent films and documentaries in Latin America, where she visited several countries. She worked for the German development aid service in Guatemala and supported the building of a media centre, contributing to the country’s peace process. In Nicaragua she supervised a TV programme by the Agricultural Reform Ministry. Besides her film productions Beate Neuhaus currently works for the German development aid service in Guatemala as well as for the civil peace service. Films by Beate Neuhaus are among others:
Beate Neuhaus has just finished her latest film, which tells the story of a young German woman seeking the roots of her childhood in Nicaragua.
Agnes NeumayrAgnes Neumayr works as a lecturer for politics and education at the University of Innsbruck. After working as a nurse she studied Politics, Education, and Gender Studies in Innsbruck. During her studies as well as her professional career Agnes Neumayr realised a variety of projects in the field of development aid politics. In 2000 she helped to develop an international co-operation between the two NGO's „KATOWDA - Kandiga Towonga Women Development Association“ from Northern Ghana and „VIA CAMPESINA“ - an international association of small farmers with their federal office in Honduras. In 2002 Agnes Neumayr supervised a women's project in Navrongo (Northern Ghana), which made the building of a community house for the native women of NARUWA (Natugnia Rural Women Association) possible. Agnes Neumayr published two newspaper articles; one of them on the Nankana women in Northern Ghana, who are as well portrayed in her documentary "Borinboresi" (2002). Besides dancing and singing an important part of these women's lives is their art, which they practice collectively while painting their clay brick houses.
Basil M. KatsaounisBasil M. Katsaounis is director of photography. He received a degree in Film Studies at the University of Utah. Today he lives in New York City. His director of photography credits include four feature films: “This Ain’t Kansas, Breaking” and "Entering”, “She Lives By Night” and “An American Diner”. He has shot innumerable short films and worked on industrial and commercial projects. His work has competed in many festivals, including the Milan International Film Festival and the Sundance Film Festival. “The Day My God Died” is his first feature length documentary.
Andrew LevineAndrew Levine is director and producer with a film studies degree from the University of Utah. He has written screenplays and has produced and directed short independent films, which have been shown at various film festivals. He originally comes from Boston, but has been living in Utah for the past 12 years. Andrew Levine has worked in Hollywood with Norman Lear, Once Upon A Time Film Productions and at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. In 2000 Andrew Levine directed and produced “The Price of Youth”, a ten-minute expose chronicling the slave trade between Nepal and India. The short was produced with ‘Witness’, a human rights media organization founded by musician/activist Peter Gabriel. The film was released on the internet and Andrew presented clips from the film on the Oprah Winfrey show. His feature length documentary “The Day My God Died”, which was released in 2002, tells the story of Nepalese girls who were kidnapped from their villages and sold into sex slavery. The film shows how some of the former victims try to liberate the girls from their prisons and give them a new perspective in their life. For his film Andrew Levine has brought together an extraordinary crew with Tim Robbins as narrator and Winona Ryder as producer and narrator. Two experts supported the production: congressman Jim McDermott working on health care issues in the USA and Matthew S. Friedman, advisor for the Office of Health and Family Planning to US Aid/Bangladesh dealing with girl trafficking in Asia. David Robbins, who composed the music for “Dead Man Walking”, has created the film’s music.
Shira RichterArtist and filmographer Shira Richter was born in the United States, but her family came to Israel when she was seven years old. After the army she studied Design in New York and attended the Bezalel Academy of Arts in Tel Aviv. In addition, she studied Film at Camera Obscura in Tel Aviv, and Film Acting with pioneer Ruth Diakess. She educated herself about Feminism from authors such as Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Erica Jung, Naomi Wolf, Simon De Bauvoir, Nancy Friday. The ‘discovery’ of feminism thinking and writing has been a major turning point in her life and work, inspiring her to commit herself to “spreading the female voice and point of view”. After her award winning Drama Comedy “Scream Quietly” Shira Richter supported herself by working as Assistant Director and Script supervisor in numerous feature films and by writing screenplays for advertisements and features. Shira Richter worked as a TV news reporter and documentary director and she performs her bi-lingual poetry in front of nightclub audiences all over Tel Aviv. “Is it Funny” is an independent film she shot about women comedians based on the book “Fire with Fire” by Naomi Wolf. Shira Richter teaches film and is currently working on a photo exhibition called “The unreturned Loan”. Shira Richter is involved in the Citizens’ Accord Forum between Jews and Arabs in Israel, and “Women for Birth” – an organization for legalizing home birth, creating alternative birth centers and creating an atmosphere of respect around the birth process at hospitals.
Hanna SmitmansHanna Smitmans is an artist and filmmaker. She studied fine arts at Gerrit -Rietveld –Akademie in Amsterdam and has made several video projects on the topic of „women and migration“.
Gertraud SchwarzGertraud Schwarz studied Photography and Visual Media Design in Vienna and London. During her studies she produced a number of video installations and short videos, which were presented to the public through several exhibitions in Austria and England. Her works were, for instance, shown at the "Fine Arts Final Year Show" in London in 2000 and at the International Film Festival in Innsbruck in 2003. Moreover, Gertraud Schwarz took part in exhibitions presented at the Austrian "Südfilmfestival" and at the "Panorama of Independent Film Makers" in Thessaloniki. Works by Gertraud Schwarz are, among others, the award-winning video clips "Hot Spots I and II", the video installation "Abhängigkeitssysteme", the documentary "Borinboresi" and its complementary photo exhibition.
Sabiha SumarFrom 1980 to 1983 Sabiha Sumar studied Filmmaking and Political Sciences in New York, afterwards she studied International Relations at the University of Cambridge from 1984 to 1985. Sabiha Sumar has used her documentaries to critique society and sensitise people about women’s lives. Her first film, “Who Will Cast The First Stone” (for Channel Four, UK, 1987, Golden Gate Award at the San Francisco Film Festival) focuses on the working class women's protest against Islamic laws introduced in Pakistan in 1979 by General Zia's regime. “Don’t Ask Why” (for ZDF/3Sat, 1999) looks at the dreams and aspirations of a 17 year-old Muslim girl growing up in Pakistan against the backdrop of increasing religiosity in the society. “Silent Waters” (“Khamosh Pani”) is her first feature film. Filmography: |
| Christa Stolle |
Irene Jung |
| Director of |
Co-ordinatorin of the |
| TERRE DES FEMMES |
Film Festival |
You can obtain further information about the Film Festival
by e-mail: filmfest@frauenrechte.de
26.01.2003