South African Film Shines At Zanzibar festival
By Janine Erasmus – South African film Themba: A Boy Called Hope, directed by Pretoria-born Stefanie Sycholt, has scooped the Unicef Child Rights Award at the 2010 Zanzibar International Film Festival (Ziff).
Sycholt received the prize from Unicef Germany board member Anne Luetkes at the film’s Cologne premiere on 1 August 2010.
Every year since 2004 international child rights organisation Unicef has presented the award to a film that it feels best represents the struggle to uphold children’s basic rights in the Eastern and Southern African region.
The film also took the Golden Dhow award for the festival’s best feature film.
Last year’s Unicef winner was Mother Unknown, a film by Sudanese director Taghreed Alsanhouri about infants born out of wedlock in Khartoum, who become innocent victims of the stigma surrounding such situations. Alsanhouri received her award from US film star and Unicef Goodwill Ambassador Danny Glover.
Directors interested in competing for the Unicef Child Rights Award at next year’s festival can email ziff@ziff.or.tz.
