Films from the South's debating program The Critical Room will during this year's festival have several focal areas with Brazil and Afghanistan as the most prominent ones. On October 7th it is exactly 10 years since the American invasion of Afghanistan and this fall the retreat starts with full force.
In cooperation with Prio, we invite on October 8th to debate in this year's The Critical Room the civilists' situation in Afghanistan. The film Finding Ali by Swedish director Pål Hollender will be screening before the debate. Norwegian and international guests will take part in the panel, amongst them the earlier Minister of the Interior of Afghanistan, Hanif Atmar. Director Hollender also visits the festival and will be available to meet the audience at screenings of Finding Ali.
On October 9th we invite you to the screening of Skateistan, a documentary dealing with the construction of a large (partly Norwegian financed) skatepark in Kabul for both girls and boys. The director of the Prio Peace Research Institute, Kristian Berg Harpviken, will lead the discussion about development help in Afghanistan, which will take place afer the screening of the film.
The Norwegian role in the building up of Afghanistan and how the civilists' situation looks today will be some of the topics we shall touch upon, especially in contrast to a media picture which has largely focused on military aspects.
These are two of a total of 12 arrangements within The Critical Room during this year's Films from the South festival.
SKATEISTAN, Afghanistan 2011
The news communication from Afghanistan and its capital Kabul often follows a typical pattern with acts of war, military and civil losses, corruption and hopelessness. It is not always easy to get a view of the small, important stories, where we see young people with other expressions than tiredness and despair in their eyes. The small adventure Skateistan started with the arrival of helpworkers Oliver Percovich and Sharma Nolan to the war-ridden city a couple of years ago. They realized soon that some local children had cought interest for a dried up fountain in a park, which they had changed into a small skateboard-installation. Both girls and boys flocked around the fountain and wanted to try the boards. Quickly, this turned into a skateboard-school, and a possibility was born to reach the children, both girls and boys, with other than traditional methods. Professional American and European skaters were in the meantime invited to Kabul, to accompany the kids to the opening of the city's first skatepark, built with, amongst others, the support of Norwegian authorities. Some enthusiasts' way of thinking innovatively established new grounds in a country with far too many mines.
Skateistan's official homepage
FINDING ALI, Afghanistan/Sweden 2011
When director Pål Hollender visited Afghanistan ten years ago, he got to know the hopeful 9 year old boy Ali. Hollender travelled back in present times to a country disrupted by war. Without knowing if the boy was alive, Hollender started his search for Ali ten years later. Finding Ali is a movie about the Afghan people after the occupation, a strong portrayal which reaches close to the population of the country. Director Pål Hollender is unsentimental in his style of narration, something which makes it easier to understand the people and their stories. We experience rage, frustration and disappointment about what has happened in the country after NATO and USA promised the people peace and development. An important film which does not focus on soldiers and war, but on human beings who have to live with the consequences of it.
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