The award-wining Sisters of the Wilderness documentary film, has been officially selected for the Rapid Lion International Film Festival in Johannesburg and Woordfees Art and Film Festival in Stellenbosch which both take place in March this year.
The film had a successful international premiere at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) in January 2019, to a sold out screening of 700 people. Following the premiere the film was rated 16th on the IFFR audience rating list. It won best South African Feature Documentary at the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) in 2018 which earned it an Oscar consideration. In February 2019 it won best Feature Documentary at the Innovation Film Festival in Bern, Switzerland.
Sisters of the Wilderness is a social impact feature-length documentary, set in the iMfolozi wilderness, South Africa, that tells the story of five young Zulu women who experience the wilderness for the first time, as they embark on a journey of healing and self-discovery.
The film, gently and beautifully shot, is a reminder that we are all intimately linked to nature as it follows these women walking in a Big Five reserve, sleeping under the stars and carrying everything they need to survive with them. As they experience five days away from the pressures of modern society and at one with nature, we journey with them as they face emotional and physical challenges, and learn what it takes to survive.
The film also highlights the threat of the ever-expanding open-cast coal mine on its border, as well as the horrific poaching of rhinos.
Directed and shot by award-wining South African documentary filmmaker, Karin Slater, and produced by Ronit Shapiro, of One Nature Films, Sisters of the Wilderness, aims to transfer its audiences back to this ancient place where no barriers separate human and nature. The film is the foundation for an outreach and audience engagement programme using multiple platforms to re-connect global audiences with nature, and empower young people, especially women.
“In 2018 we launched a programme of free screenings at rural and under-served communities in South Africa. We are looking to collaborate with organisations that operate in areas of education, conservation, women empowerment and wellbeing in South Africa/Africa and beyond; and we are looking for funding and sponsors to support our expanding programme,” says Ronit. “We were particularly delighted that the Nature, Environment, Wildlife Filmmakers (NEWF) Community Cinema recently screened the film in Edendale, Pietermaritzburg as part of their programme to take environment-themed films to communities in KwaZulu-Natal.”
“We are also very keen to screen the film at educational institutions, conferences, events, businesses, policy-makers forums, etc. and to collaborate with organisations and individuals who are passionate about young people empowerment and leadership development and re-connecting people and nature. Anyone interested can contact us if they wish to get involved.”
Sisters of the Wilderness will be screened at Rapid Lion on March 6 (18:00) and March 7 (12:15) at The Mannie Manim Theatre in The Market Theatre in Newtown, Johannesburg.
While it is to screen at Woordfees on March 4 (12:30) and March 6 (12:00) at Pulp Cinema Neelsie.