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Reviews & Quotes

“The way this film confronts the fragility of democracy and the ever-looming possibility of violence
hit home for this American viewer in a way that was both harrowing and humbling.”

A.O. Scott, The New York Times

“outstanding, gripping, necessary ... One of the year’s best nonfiction films.”

“ 'President' is in-the-moment documentary storytelling of the highest order”

Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times

“Intimate... Thrilling .... Riveting”

Phuong Lee, The Guardian

“Zimbabwe needs this film like a body needs oxygen. It has the potential to save lives,
liberate the oppressed, and discover truths. There is no better purpose for filmmaking, than this.”

Thandiwe Newton, quoted in Variety

"Riveting. Nielsson’s galvanizing, epic-scale docuthriller..."

"Rather like Frederick Wiseman, Nielsson has a knack for excavating savage drama

from administrative process and politesse...Filmed with astonishing in-the-moment access."

Guy Lodge, Variety

"A thrilling, enraging film, and its intimate access...is extraordinary."

Alissa Wilkinson, Vox

"A devastating, heartened report of democracy in peril against a dictator."

Robert Daniels, RogerEbert.com

"A remarkable story of bravery and determination against daunting odds
in Zimbabwe’s first “free and fair” elections...Chilling."

Finnuala Halligan, Screen Daily

Awards & Nominations

Sundance Film Festival 2021, US

Special Jury Award for Cinema Verité Filmmaking

Docville International Documentary Film Festival 2021, Belgium

Jury Prize in the ConScience Competition

Encounters International Documentary Film Festival 2021, South Africa

Best International Feature Documentary

É Tudo Verdade / It's All True 2021, Brazil

Best Documentary in the International Competition

DMZ, South Korea

Special Jury Award

Gotham Awards
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature

Cinema Eye Honors

Nominated for Outstanding Production

Film Festival Screenings

Sundance Film Festival, USA (World Premiere)
CPH:DOX, Denmark
Movies That Matter, The Netherlands
DOK.Fest München, Germany

One World Int. Human Rights Film Festival, Czech Republic
Thessaloniki Int. Film Festival, Greece

AFI Docs, USA

Biografilm Festival, Italy
Iceland Documentary Film Festival

Melbourne Int. Film Festival, Australia
Dokufest, Kosovo

IFI Documentary Festival, Ireland
Against Gravity, Poland

Lusaka International Film Festival, Zambia
Docville Int. Documentary Film Festival, Belgium
Encounters Int. Documentary Film Festival 2021, South Africa
É Tudo Verdade / It's All True , Brazil
DMZ, South Korea
Film by the Sea, The Netherlands
Zurich Film Festival, Switzerland

DocsMX, Mexico
Africa in Motion, Scotland

Bergen Int. Film Festival, Norway
Philadelphia Film Festival, USA
Montclair Film Festival, USA
Nordische Filmtage Lübeck, Germany

Sydney Film Festival, Australia
VERZIO Film Festival, Hungary

Films from the South, Norway

News

Democrats Website

Official Facebook Page

Watch

US - POV (accessible from the US only)

US - MoMA, New York (online, membership only)

UK - BBC iPlayer (accessible from the UK only)

Denmark - DR (accessible from Denmark only)

Norway - NRK (accessible from Norway only)

Sweden - SVT (accessible from Sweden only)

Interview Links

Change Radio Zimbabwe:

Twitter Space session with director Camilla Nielsson, Jan 24, 2022 (youtube link)

Change Radio Zimbabwe:

Twitter Space session with director Camilla Nielsson, Jan 10, 2022 (youtube link)

Change Radio Zimbabwe:

PRESIDENT UK premiere - with MDC spokesperson Nkululeko Sibanda, Jan 9, 2022 (youtube link)

Top Docs podcast:

Conversation with director Camilla Nielsson, Dec 20, 2021

Educational Materials

Synopsis

When dictator Robert Mugabe was removed from power in a military coup, the generals promised they would not seize control for themselves but would ensure democracy in a na- tional election. Against a backdrop of economic crisis, food shortages, and political violence, the stakes could not be higher.

Working to defeat the ruling party, which has controlled Zimbabwe since independence, is the young and charismatic Nelson Chamisa, who draws comparisons to a young Nelson Mandela in expressing the country’s utmost desire to be “governed” and not “ruled”. After decades of a corrupt elite clinging to power using any tool available—legal or not—can a free, fair, and cred- ible election be truly possible?

As the follow-up to her widely acclaimed 2014 documentary DEMOCRATS, Camilla Nielsson brings viewers into the heart of the struggle for power with stunningly close access and unhesi- tating courage, in a nation closely monitored by the entire world. President is a riveting and epic reminder that, while individuals and their specific ideals may differ, the fight for democracy is never-ending and of profound significance everywhere.

Director

Camilla Nielsson

Camilla Nielsson was a Fulbright Scholar at Tisch School of the Arts, New York University (NYU), and in the Dept. of Anthropology (NYU), where she studied documentary filmmaking and visual anthropology from 1997-2000. She has directed the documentary short trilogy Good Morning Afghanistan (2003), Durga (2004), and The Children of Darfur (2005), about children’s rights, and Mumbai Disconnected (2009), in the Cities on Speed series.

Camilla Nielsson’s first feature documentary Democrats (2014), has screened at more than 80 film festivals, and won 20 awards and nominations, including Best Documentary at Tribeca Film Festival 2015, and Best Documentary at Nordic Panorama 2015. In 2021 Camilla was the recipient of the Roos Award, which recognizes an extraordinary contribution to Danish documentary film.

Director's Notes

It was not in the cards for me to make the film PRESIDENT. My previous film DEMOCRATS (2014) had been banned by Zimbabwe’s Censorship Board with the curt assessment ‘Banned and prohibited in Zimbabwe. Not suitable for showing to the public.’ Ironically, the ban was in direct contravention with the country’s new democratic constitution, which DEMOCRATS had followed the making of for more than 3 years.

In the process of filming DEMOCRATS, I had met some of Zimbabwe’s finest lawyers. They suggested that the ban should be challenged on the basis that it violated the constitutionally protected freedom of expression, and the public’s right to information. Together we began the legal challenge to have the ban lifted, and without knowing, this process became the starting point for this new film PRESIDENT.

In February 2018, following a 3-year legal battle in the Zimbabwean courts, a High Court judge finally ruled that the ban be lifted, and people were free to watch the film in the country where it matters most. It was during a dinner in Harare in celebration of the court ruling that one of the protagonists from the first film suggested to me to make the sequel. President Mugabe had fallen in a military coup just months before, and the democratic space seemed to have opened, and there was a new sense of freedom in the country. With the fall of dictator Robert Mugabe, a new constitutional democracy was on the horizon, and it seemed that now was the time for the people of Zimbabwe to make a push for democracy that would overcome the tragic and unhappy events that were portrayed in the first film.

I won’t spoil the plot here, but I hope that PRESIDENT will make the audiences think about the universal importance of having independent democratic institutions, and proper checks and balances on presidential powers. It is a film about the dire consequences that happens if these democratic principles are not observed and not in place.

Camilla Nielsson

Background

Robert Mugabe and the Zimbabwe African National Union–Patriotic Front (ZANU–PF) led the country to independence in 1980. Under the pretense of democracy, his presidency became marked by violence and stolen elections. He evolved into a dictator who ruled Zimbabwe for 38 years. The international community to a large extent, looked away from his human rights abuses and exploited the country’s rich natural resources.

Mugabe’s main opposition was Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Alliance. Mugabe was finally removed by his own party ZANU-PF in 2017, in a military coup led by his former vice-president Emmerson Mnangagwa who promised to hold free and fair elections. The iconic Tsvangirai was seen as the favorite to win the country’s first free and fair election in 2018.

Then, tragically just 4 months short of the election, he died of cancer. Nelson Chamisa, a young lawyer, was suddenly thrust into the limelight as the new young President of the MDC opposition party.

Director Camilla Nielsson’s previous work and connection with Zimbabwe

“Democracy in Africa is a difficult proposition. Because always the opposition will want much more than what it deserves.” With these infamous words, former president Robert Mugabe officially launched the constitution-making process in 2008. After 30 years under increasingly autocratic rule, the process was an attempt at establishing a constitutional democracy – while the dictator’s anti-democratic forces were still at play.

Camilla Nielsson’s award-winning documentary Democrats (2014) followed this hard-fought attempt to lead the country into a modern democracy. During the extensive filming process from 2010-2013, Nielsson built personal and trusting relationships with many of the leading figures on both sides of the country’s political divide. Through these relationships, she was given unprecedented access to film inside the political engine room of the opposition party MDC-T and also, rather sensationally, inside Mugabe’s ZANU-PF.

In May 2013 Mugabe put his pen to paper and signed the new constitution in front of a wall of international news cameras. However, the ink was hardly dry before the dictator abandoned the democratic path. He engineered a suspect victory in the next presidential election, and left the new constitution to gather dust. The dream of democracy had quickly turned into a nightmare return to autocracy, and Nielsson’s film would no longer have the happy ending she had hoped for.

Unsurprisingly, the film was not to president Mugabe’s liking, and his censorship board banned it. Under the guidance of lawyers Nielsson had met during filming, and supported by the local NGO Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), she fought a 3-year legal battle against the state to lift the ban. In 2018, a High Court Judge ruled that the ban be lifted unconditionally. The film can now be screened in the country in which it was made, and more importantly, the case created a legal precedent pushing back on limitations on freedom of speech, help Zimbabwean filmmakers and journalists facing similar repression in the future.

Team

Executive Producer
Thandiwe Newton

Thandiwe Newton stars on HBO’s critically acclaimed series Westworld for which she won the 2018 Emmy Award and was nominated for a 2020 Emmy Award for “Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.” Additionally, she won the 2016 and 2018 Critics Choice Award for “Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series” and was nominated for a 2017 Emmy Award for “Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.” In 2017 and 2019, Newton was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television” as well as two SAG Awards for “Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series” and “Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series” in 2017.

Newton has reteamed with Westworld’s Lisa Joy to star in her sci-fi feature, Reminiscence opposite Hugh Jackman which Warner Bros. released in 2021. Newton recently wrapped production on Julian Higgins’ feature directorial debut God’s Country as well as Janus Metz’s spy thriller, All The Old Knives opposite Chris Pine for Amazon Studios.

Newton is well-known for her work in the Academy Award-winning Best Picture, Crash. For her performance, she received a BAFTA Award for “Best Actress in a Supporting Role” and a SAG Award for “Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.” Newton was also praised for her role in Gabriele Muccino's critically acclaimed box office hit The Pursuit of Happyness opposite Will Smith.

She has also starred in several other blockbuster films including John Woo’s Mission Impossible 2 opposite Tom Cruise, which grossed over $540 million worldwide and Roland Emmerich’s 2012, which grossed over $760 million worldwide, Ron Howard’s Solo: A Star Wars Story ($390 million box office), Nash Edgerton’s Gringo, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Half A Yellow Sun opposite Chiwetel Ejiofor, Tyler Perry’s Good Deeds, For Colored Girls opposite Whoopi Goldberg, Guy Ritchie’s Rocknrolla, Oliver Stone's W.opposite Josh Brolin (playing Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice), Xavier Dolan’s The Death & Life of John F. Donovan which premiered at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival, David Schwimmer's Run Fat Boy Run, Jonathan Demme's The Truth About Charlie and Jonathan Demme's Beloved in which she received rave reviews for her astonishingly original and bold performance as the title character which co-starred Oprah Winfrey.

Additionally, Newton executive produced the film Liyana which is a documentary about a group of young children in Swaziland who use the power of storytelling to work through personal traumas. Liyana opened in select theaters on October 10, 2018.

Newton’s other television credits include: the acclaimed BBC One drama Line of Duty which garnered her rave reviews and a 2018 BAFTA TV Award nomination for “Best Leading Actress;” ER; American Dad!; Rogue; The Slap; and Big Mouth.

In 2012, Newton made her stage debut in London’s West End starring in Death and the Maiden by Ariel Dorfman. And in 2016, she recorded the audiobook for Jane Eyre which was in the #9 highest customer-rated audiobook for the year. More recently, she recorded the audiobook War and Peace for Audible.

As an activist and philanthropist, Newton was named to the Queen's New Year's Honours List, receiving an OBE for services to film and charity. She is a founding board member of the V-Day Foundation and their One Billion Rising campaign, a global movement to end violence against women and girls. In 2011, she attended the opening of City of Joy, which is a transformational leadership community for women survivors of violence, located in Bukavu, Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In conjunction with V-Day, Netflix released a documentary, The City of Joy on September 7, 2018. Additionally, Newton memorably spoke at the 2011 TED Global Conference on the topic of “Embracing Otherness” and the video has been viewed over 3.2 million times.

Executive Producer
Danny Glover

In addition to being one of the most acclaimed actors of our time, with a career spanning 35 years and including film classics like “Places in the Heart,” “The Color Purple,” the “Lethal Weapon” series and the acclaimed “To Sleep with Anger,” Danny Glover has also executive produced numerous projects for film, television and theatre. Among these are “Good Fences,” “3 AM,” “Freedom Song,” “Get on the Bus,” “Deadly Voyage,” “Buffalo Soldiers,” “The Saint of Fort Washington,” “To Sleep with Anger,” and “Mooladé,” as well as the series “Courage and America’s Dream.”

Since co-founding Louverture Films, Glover has been involved with producing BAMAKO, TROUBLE THE WATER, DUM MAARO DUM, THE BLACK POWER MIXTAPE, THE HOUSE I LIVE IN, THE TIME THAT REMAINS, HIGHWAY, WHITE SUN, CONCERNING VIOLENCE, THE NARROW FRAME OF MIDNIGHT, THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING, SHADOW WORLD, WHITE SUN, STRONG ISLAND, HALE COUNTY THIS MORNING, THIS EVENING, EASTER

SNAP and CRANE LANTERN. He associate produced Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s 2010 Cannes Palme d’Or winner UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES and CEMETERY OF SPLENDOUR.

In 2006, Danny received the DGA Honor in recognition of his humanitarian and advocacy ef- forts on behalf of economic and social justice causes, and in 2011 he was honored with a Pio- neer Award from the National Civil Rights Museum.

He is the recipient of the Marian Anderson Award, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from Amnesty International USA. Internationally, Danny served as a Goodwill Ambassador for the

United Nations Development Program from 1998-2004, focusing on issues of poverty, disease and economic development in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. He was presented in 2011 with the prestigious Medaille des Arts et des Letters from the French Ministry of Culture. Danny currently serves as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.

In 2022, Danny was recognized by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award Oscar®, for his decades-long advocacy for justice and human rights and his dedication to recognizing our shared humanity on and off the screen.

Cinematographer
Henrik Bohn Ipsen

Born 1961. Henrik Bohn Ipsen studied cinematography at the National Danish Film School and graduated in 1997. Henrik Bohn Ipsen has worked on a large number of notable documentary films since the mid-eighties, including Heartbound (2018), Reconstructing Utøya (2018), Motley’s Law (2015), My Afghanistan (2012), Football is God (2010) and The German Secret (2005).

Henrik has been an invaluable partner for director Camilla Nielsson while shooting President, and they were able to continue their collaboration which started when he was the cinematographer on Camilla Nielsson’s previous film from the Zimbabwean political landscape, Democrats (2014).

Henrik Ipsen is highly respected for his uncompromising approach to documentary cinematography – always creating beautiful and fascinating images no matter how difficult the shooting conditions are.

In 2015, Henrik Bohn Ipsen received the Danish Roos Award, which recognizes an outstanding contribution to Danish documentary film.

Editor
Jeppe Bødskov

Born 1977. Jeppe Bødskov studied editing at the National Film School of Denmark, graduating in 2007. He has edited numerous notable Danish TV-series, the latest being When the Dust Settles (2019), Deliver Us (2018) and Follow the Money (2018). Alongside the fiction projects he has worked on several acclaimed Danish documentaries, among others A Cherry Tale (2018) by Eva Mulvad, The Great European Cigarette Mystery (2018) by Jeppe Rønde Days of Hope (2014) by Ditte Haarløv Johnsen, and ½ Revolution (2011) by Omar Shargawi. He has also edited several commercials and edited the art piece This Nameless Spectacle by the acclaimed Danish visual artist Jesper Just.

In 2014 Jeppe Bødskov edited Camilla Nielsson’s documentary Democrats (2014) and through this he gained an incredible insight into the Zimbabwean political landscape that he has been able to utilize in his work editing President.

Jeppe Bødskov brings a unique sense of rhythm, musicality and timing to the editing table and it is instrumental to the editing process of President that he and Camilla have been able to continue their collaboration from Democrats.

Composer
Jonas Bjerre

Born in 1976, in Copenhagen, Denmark. Jonas is a vocalist, musician, composer, animator, and visual artist. He started the alternative rock band Mew in 1995. Also founding member of

side project Apparatjik alongside Guy Berryman from Coldplay, Magne Furuholmen from a-ha, and Swedish producer and songwriter Martin Terefe. Recently started a new duo with Tobias Wilner called Tachys.

He has composed and recorded music for tv and film projects such as Danish film “Skyskraber” directed by Rune Schjøtt, documentary tv series “Scandinavian Star” directed by Mikala Krogh, short films “We Who Stayed Behind” by Martin De Thurah, “Bosporus” by Martin Werner, and “The Girl In The Water” by Jeppe Rønde and Ming Jin Woo.

Jonas is a featured vocalist on songs by artists such as Duran Duran, Kimbra, Purity Ring, Blue Foundation, Silo, Molina, Future 3, RAC, Carly Paradis and Kasper Winding. Jonas also creates and exhibits animations and visual art, and has directed music videos for artists such as a-ha, Agnes Obel, and his own band Mew.

Producer
Signe Byrge Sørensen

Born 1970. Signe Byrge Sørensen is a two-time Oscar® nominee for producing The Act of Killing in 2014 and The Look of Silence in 2016. She was nominated for the Producer’s Guild Award in 2016 for The Look of Silence and won Cinema Eye Awards for the production of both these films.

Signe Byrge Sørensen has been a producer since 1998 and founded Final Cut for Real ApS in 2009. Recent titles include Flee by Jonas Poher Rasmussen (202) Songs of Repression by Marianne Hougen-Moraga and Estephan Wagner (2020), Dreaming Murakami (2018) by Nitesh Anjaan, Land of the Free (2017) by Camilla Magid, Les Sauteurs (2017) by Estephan Wagner and Life is Sacred (2014) by Andreas Dalsgaard. While at SPOR Media, she was the Danish co-producer for Steps for the Future.

She holds an MA in International Development Studies and Communication Studies from Roskilde University, Denmark, 1998 and attended EURODOC in 2003, EAVE in 2010 and ACE in 2018.

In 2014, Signe Byrge Sørensen received the Roos Award, given for an extraordinary contribution to Danish documentary film. She has co-produced 4 documentary films with Joslyn Barnes of Louverture Films: Angels Are Made of Light by James Longley, That Summer by Göran Olsson, Strong Island by Yance Ford (Oscar® nominated 2018) and Shadow World by Johan Grimonprez.

Producer
Joslyn Barnes

Joslyn Barnes is a producer, writer and co-founder of New York based Louverture Films which she co-founded together with Danny Glover in 2005, later to be joined by partners Susan Rockefeller, Tony Tabatznik, Sawsan Asfari, Jeffrey Clark and Karin Chien.

Among the films she has been involved with producing are the features: Bamako By Abderrahmane Sissako; Apichatpong Weerasethakul's Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, Cemetery Of Splendour and the forthcoming Memoria; Deepak Rauniyar's White Sun; Lucrecia Martel's Zama; Nadine Labaki’s Capernaum; and the forthcoming Noche De Fuego by Tatiana Huezo and La Memoria Del Monte by Paz Encina. Among the documentaries are: Tia Lessin and Carl Deal’s Trouble The Water; Göran Hugo Olsson’s Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975, Concerning Violence and That Summer; Eugene Jarecki’s The House I Live In; Tala Hadid’s House In The Fields and the forthcoming Forest Of Stone; Yance Ford's Strong Island; Ramell Ross's Hale County This Morning, This Evening and Easter Snap; Victor Kossakovsky's Aquarela and Gunda; Camilla Nielsson's President; and Lucrecia Martel’s forthcoming Chocobar.

In 2017, Barnes was the recipient of both the Cinereach Producer Award and the Sundance Institute | Amazon Studios Producer Award. In 2010, 2018 and 2019 she was nominated for Emmy Awards, and won in 2018 for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking. In 2018 and 2019 she earned Oscar® Nominations for best Documentary Feature.

Co-producer
Anne Köhncke

Anne Köhncke was born in Norway 1973. She moved to Copenhagen 1997, where she in 2009 co-founded the two-time Oscar®-nominated production company Final Cut for Real together with Signe Byrge Sørensen. In 2019 Anne also started Final Cut for Real Norway. She lives between Malmö, Oslo and Marseille and works with Nordic and international directors. Prior to producing, she worked as Commissioning Editor of documentaries at DR2 and as Sales Executive at TV2 World, selling documentaries.

She holds an MA in film from the University of Copenhagen, is an EAVE graduate and a member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

At Final Cut for Real Anne Köhncke has produced several award-winning documentary films, such as Pervert Park (2014), Death of a Child (2017) and School Shooters (in post-production) by Frida and Lasse Barkfors, Patrimonium (2019), Meanwhile on Earth (2020) and Men on Boat (in production) by Carl Olsson, What Walla Wants (2018) by Christy Garland and Cathedrals of Culture: Halden Prison (2013) by Michael Madsen.

Co-producer
Anita Rehoff Larsen

Anita Rehoff Larsen has produced for Norwegian and international directors since 2010. She is co-owner of the production company Sant & Usant together with producer and director Tone Grøttjord-Glenne. Together they have produced the company’s award winning films such as Gunda and Varicella by Viktor Kossakovsky, Exit by Karen Winther, 69 Minutes Of 86 Days by Egil Håskjold Larsen, and more.

Anita studied film in the UK and has graduated as an international producer from EURODOC. Anita looks for directors with a strong cinematic voice.

Sant & Usant has collaborated with Danish production company Final Cut for Real on several films, including All That I Am by Tone Grøttjord-Glenne, Dancing For You by Erlend E. Mo and Life is Sacred by Andreas Dalsgaard, and with Louverture Films on Gunda by Victor Kossakovsky.

Executive Producer
Susan Rockefeller

Susan Rockefeller is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, artist, and conservationist. She is a Principal of Louverture Films where she has executive and co produced 24 acclaimed films, including Victor Kossakovsky's Gunda and Aquarela; Hilal Baydarov's In Between Dying; Nadine Labaki's Capernaum; Lucrecia Martel's Zama; RaMell Ross' Hale County This Morning, This Evening; Yance Ford's Strong Island; and Deepak Rauniyar's White Sun and Highway.

Sue's own original films, which include Food For Thought, Food for Life; Striking a Chord; Making the Crooked Straight; and Mission of Mermaids, have aired on HBO, PBS, and the Discovery Channel.

Sue is a member of the Film Committee for the Museum of Modern Art, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She is founder of Musings, a digital magazine that inspires ideas for a better world. Susan sits on the boards of Oceana, Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, the We Are Family Foundation, Asian Cultural Council, Land and Garden Preserve, and the David Rockefeller Fund. She is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Executive Producer
Tone Grøttjord-Glenne

Tone Grøttjord-Glenne has a master’s degree in direction from the National Film and Television School in England. In 2005 she founded Sant & Usant with a vision of creating an environment for documentary film that had room to discuss both images and visual storytelling reading out on an international stage.

Together with co-owner and producer Anita Rehoff Larsen, Tone has produced several award-winning documentaries in Sant & Usant since then. As a director Tone released All That I Am in the Norwegian Cinema in 2020 and are currently directing Norway’s first Netflix Original, Sisters on Track. She is executive producer on Gunda, which premiered at the Berlinale earlier this year.

Sound Designer
Håkon Lammetun

Born 1961. Håkon Lammetun began as sound designer at Norsk Film AS in 1986. He ended his position at Norsk Filmstudio in 1993 and has run his own film sound studio, now called Lydhodene, since 1997. Håkon Lammetun has created the sound design and mix on a number of films of all categories, as well as thousands of commercials.

His work is seen on several recognized films; Pyromaniac (2016. Winner of Best Sound Design at Kosmorama Trondheim Internasjonale Filmfestival, 2017), Kill Buljo 2 (2013. Nominated for Best Sound Design at Kosmorama Trondheim Internasjonale Filmfestival, 2014), Høvdinger (2015), Nokas (2010), and many others. Some of his recent works are; Liker Stilen (2020), All That I Am (2020), The Self Portrait (2020), The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open (2019).

Alongside with his own company, Lydhodene, Håkon also acts as sound designer for the company Filmreaktor AS. He is located in Oslo, Norway.

Sound Mixer
Thomas Jæger

Born 1976. Thomas Jæger is a Danish sound designer with more than 20 years’ experience, educated from The Danish Film School. He has worked with many established directors, such as Thomas Vinterberg, Lars Von Trier & Wigge and Rasmussen. In addition to his sound design on films, Thomas has been engaged in coaching, consulting, and teaching of up-coming sound enthusiasts and film students.

Thomas is especially known for his sound design in the films The Hunt (2012 - Nominated for Best Sound at Danish Film Awards/Robert, 2014), Nymphomaniac I & II (2013), Fuglejagten (2012), Smukke Mennesker (2010), Little Girl (2020), Democrats (2014), Night Will Fall (2014. Nominated for Outstanding Music and Sound at News & Documentary Emmy Awards, 2016).

Colorist Tom
Chr. Lilletvedt

Born 1973. Tom Chr. Lilletvedt is a Norwegian Colorist, with a background in VFX and Motion Graphics. He has previously worked for the production company BUG, and was here responsible for motion graphics, visual effects, and 3D animation. Later, he joined the institution Noroff – a university specialized in technology and digital media.

Today he collaborates with Hinterland, a postproduction company in Norway. Tom is known for his work on the films; The Mole: Undercover in North Korea (2020), ‘Til Kingdom Come (2020), All That I Am (2020), Angels Are Made of Light (2018-19), The Look of Silence (2014), Inside Fur (2014), My Afghanistan – Life in the Forbidden Zone (2012), The Act of Killing (2012), and many others.

Visual Consultant
Anders V. Christensen

Anders V. Christensen has been in charge of post-production on a large number of Danish documentaries. He founded and runs the postproduction company, Kong Gulerod Film, in Copenhagen. His company has, since 2000, offered editing, color grading, graphics, VFX, sound work and technical support to all artistic arenas.

He is, among many others, known for his work in the films; The Possession (2012), Standing on Water (2015), Sorgenfri (2015), 7 Years of Lukas Graham (2020), The Attack (2020), The Cave (2019), Democrats (2014), Armadillo (2010), and many more.

In 2021 Anders received the Roos Award which is given in recognition of an extraordinary contribution to Danish documentary film.

Production Companies

Final Cut for Real (DK)

FINAL CUT FOR REAL is a two-time Oscar® nominated production company based in Denmark dedicated to producing high-end, creative documentaries and fiction films for the international market. The company was founded in 2009 by producers Signe Byrge Sørensen & Anne Köhncke.

At Final Cut for Real we work with young directors as well as established talent to create a productive mixture of experience and innovative approaches to filmmaking. Our policy is to be curious, daring and to seek out directors with serious artistic ambitions. We work with the best cinematographers, editors, sound designers, composers and colorists in the industry, both locally and internationally.

Louverture Films (US)

LOUVERTURE FILMS produces independent films, series and artworks of historical relevance, social purpose, commercial value and artistic integrity. Co-founded in 2005 by actor Danny Glover and producer Joslyn Barnes, joined by partners Susan Rockefeller, Tony Tabatznik, Sawsan Asfari, Jeffrey Clark and Karin Chien, the company takes its name and inspiration from the leader of the Haitian Revolution, Toussaint Louverture - famous for always creating an “opening” in the face of enormous obstacles.

Louverture Films partners with progressive artists and producers around the world and particularly from the global South, and proactively supports the employment and training of cast and crew from historically marginalized communities in the United States.

Sant & Usant (NO)

SANT & USANT is a Norwegian production company established in 2006. The company has developed a strong voice in the Nordic and European documentary industry, producing films for established filmmakers as well as new strong voices.

Their films have been distributed both theatrically, on TV, and on VOD platforms. The company focuses on films with new visual perspectives and also regularly works on films with underrepresented voices. The company has been nominated and received awards for their films in festivals such as Hot Docs, IDFA, Sheffield, CPH:DOX.

World Sales

Cinephil

info@cinephil.com
Tel: +972 3 566 4129
www.cinephil.com

CINEPHIL is an international sales and advisory firm, with a strong reputation for securing international distribution, broadcasting and financing deals for documentaries from around the world on behalf of producers and directors. With a history of selling unique and award-winning films, Cinephil also acts as a strategic advisor and co-producer.

Cinephil has facilitated the sale and financing of well over a hundred films. Cinephil represented) the 2013 Academy Award nominee “The Gatekeepers“; 2014 Academy Award nominee “The Act of Killing“, executive produced by Werner Herzog and Errol Morris; “Cathedrals of Culture“, a 3D project executive produced by Wim Wenders and including films by Wim Wenders and Robert Redford, and Martin Scorsese’s documentary, “The 50 Year Argument“.

Cinephil has co-produced many films, including 2014 Academy Award nominee, Dror Moreh’s “The Gatekeepers“, Dror Shaul’s “Sweet Mud”, which won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and the Crystal Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. Recent titles include “Advocate” by Rachel Leah Jones and Philippe Bellaïche, “Collective” by Alexander Nanau, “Gunda” by Victor Kossakovsky and The Ross Brother’s “Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets”.

Facts

Production Year: 2021 / Production Countries: Denmark/USA/Norway Duration: 115 min / Audio: English & Shona / Subtitles: English

Credits

Directed by Camilla Nielsson (Democrats)

Produced by Signe Byrge Sørensen (The Act of Killing, The Look of Silence), Joslyn Barnes (Strong Island, Hale County This Morning, This Evening)

Executive Produced by Thandiwe Newton, Danny Glover, Susan Rockefeller, Tone Grøttjord-Glenne

Co-Produced by Anne Köhncke & Anita Rehoff Larsen

A FINAL CUT FOR REAL Production In Co-Production with

Louverture Films & Sant & Usant BBC Storyville – Mandy Chang

ZDF Arte – Sabine Bubeck-Paaz & Martin Pieper

The film is supported by

Danish Film Institute – Film Commissioner Anders Riis Hansen Norwegian Film Institute – Film Commissioner Helle Hansen

Nordisk Film & Tv Fond – Senior Advisor Documentary Karolina Lidin International Media Support – Rasmus Steen & Henrik Underbjerg IDA Enterprise Documentary Fund

Creative Europe - The Media Programme of the European Union Danida

Fritt Ord Foundation Bertha Foundation

Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program With support from

Open Society Foundations

The film is produced in collaboration with

DR – Anders Bruus, VPRO – Nathalie Windhorst,

SVT – Axel Arnö & Charlotte Madsen, NRK – Fredrik Færden,

ERR

In Memory of

Brian Zhuwao

Challenge Tauro

Gavin Charles Dean

Ismail Kumire

Jealous Chakandira

Sylvia Matambo

Patson Dzmara

The filmmakers acknowledge with gratitude the courage of all the Zimbabweans who chose to take part in the making of this film

DIRECTOR

Camilla Nielsson

CINEMATOGRAPHER

Henrik Bohn Ipsen

EDITOR

Jeppe Bødskov

PRODUCERS

Signe Byrge Sørensen

Joslyn Barnes

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS

Thandiwe Newton

Susan Rockefeller

Sabine Bubeck-Paaz

Danny Glover

Mandy Chang

Tone Grøttjord-Glenne

CO-PRODUCERS

Anne Köhncke

Anita Rehoff Larsen

PRODUCTION SOUND

Camilla Nielsson

COMPOSER

Jonas Bjerre

SOUND DESIGNER

Håkon Lammetun

SOUND MIXER

Thomas Jæger

COLORIST

Tom Chr. Lilletvedt

COLOUR GRADE CONSULTANT

Anders V. Christensen

POST PRODUCER

Francesc Sitges-Sardà

TRANSLATORS

Anonymous

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Anders Huulgaard

ARCHIVAL RESEARCHER

Anonymous

Gail Behrmann

DRIVER & SECURITY

Anonymous

FIXER

Anonymous

RE-RECORDING MIXER

Håkon Lammetun

DIALOGUE EDITOR

Matias Frøystad

SOUND EFFECTS EDITOR

Yvonne Stenberg

ADDITIONAL MUSIC

Jonas Colstrup

Kristian Selin Eidnes Andersen

ADDITIONAL CAMERA

Anonymous

ADDITIONAL RECORDINGS

Bruno Amakiri

Joseph Yamoah

ARCHIVAL RESEARCHER

Anonymous

Gail Behrmann

ADDITIONAL SOUND RECORDINGS

Anonymous

Banthata Mokgoatsane

Modou AK Njie

Nafisa Osman

ASSISTANT EDITORS

Mauricio Gonzalez-Aranda

Waltteri Vanhanen

SOUND ASSISTANT

Maar Falke Dollerup

ONLINE ASSISTANTS

Soheil Flumme Ozlati

Sune Kiefer

EDITING CONSULTANTS

Janus Billeskov Jansen

Jesper Jack

Per K. Kirkegaard

Niels Pagh Andersen

ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS

Anonymous

Maria Kristensen

PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS

Megumi Arita

Aiobhe Jessen

Chiara Liberti

Anna Duelund Hansen

Stine Møldrup Sørensen

Sonia Ladidà

Susanna Azevedo

Jonathan Sampson

Barbara Crvelin

Tora Jensen

Frederikke Møller Helvad

DI MANAGER

Joakim Hauge Vocke

OFFICE MANAGER, HINTERLAND

Oddleiv Vik

LEGAL COUNSEL, FINAL CUT FOR REAL

Katrine Schlüter Schierbeck

ACCOUNTANT, LOUVERTURE FILMS

Sarisa Middleton

INSURANCE

Christopher Saks, Media Insurance Brokers

Vivi Hannibal, AIG

LEGAL COUNSEL, LOUVERTURE FILMS

Sasha Levites, Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz

ACCOUNTANTS, FINAL CUT FOR REAL

Korthe Barfod Lund

Gitte Randløv

SECURITY ADVISOR

Jens Serup

TRAILER EDITOR

Theis Schmidt

TRAILER SOUND

Rasmus Winther Jensen

TRAILER COLOR GRADE

Anders V. Christensen

SALES REPRESENTATION / NORTH AMERICA

Submarine Entertainment

Josh Braun

Dan Braun

Ben Braun

Matt Burke

Ben Schwartz

PUBLIC RELATIONS

Cinetic Media

Ryan Werner

Layla Hancock-Piper

WORLD SALES

Cinephil

Philippa Kowarsky

Olivier Tournaud

Noa Levy

Shoshi Korman

ARCHIVE CLIPS

SABC – Duma-Sandile Mboni

ScreenOcean Reuters – Hanna Davies

ENCA – Carmen Whitcher

BBC

Al Jazeera

Anonymous

Getty – Gard Rystad

AP – James W. Kearney

ZBC

CGNT

World Economic Forum

Anonymous

A very special thanks to all those cinematographers who shared their footage from the events of August 1st, 2018 with us.

THIS PROJECT WAS PITCHED AT

NORDISK FORUM

IDFA:FORUM

CPH:DOX FORUM

THANK YOU TO THE INTERNATIONAL ELECTION OBSERVERS

Former Liberian President and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Former Interim President of the Central African Republic Catherine Samba-Panza. U.S. Former U.S. Assistant Secretaries of State for African Affairs Ambassador Johnnie Carson NDI Senior Associate and Director of Electoral Programs Patrick Merloe

IRI Regional Director John Tomaszewski

Congresswoman Karen Bass

Constance Berry Newman

Elmar Brok, The European Union

SPECIAL THANKS

African Screen Network

Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe

PACT

Producentforeningen

THANK YOU

Adriek van Nieuwenhuijzen

Aiylin Elci

André Singer

Angelique Brook

Anita Nayar

Anonymous

Beathe Hofseth

Cara Mertes

Caroline Johansson

Carrie Lozano

Cecilie Aclon

Charles Paradzai Mutengwa

Chi-hui Yang

Dana Merwin

Dali Mpofu

Emma Mørup

Frank Piasecki Poulsen

Hayley Reynolds

Heidi Elise Christensen

Helle Lilienfeldt

Henrik Moltke

Hollie Gibson

Hopewell Chin’ono

Ida Høyer Bom

Inge Kastoft

Jakob Kirstein Høgel

Jeremy Gaunlet

Joshua Oppenheimer

Karsten Fundal

Kathrine Larney

Lars Michael Reiff

Lise Løwholm

Lone Hey

Mads Mikkelsen

Marina Nielsen

Martin Dennis

Monica Hellström

Niklas Engstrøm

Peter Tygesen

Rebecca Lichtenfeld

Rhona Walker

Sarah D’hanens

Sidsel Filipsen

Simon Kilmurry

Sofie Lykke Stenstrop

Sonja Henrici

Steven Markovitz

Søren Tarp

Tabitha Jackson

Tamsin Ranger

Tembeka Ngcukaitobi

Theodore Braun

Tomas Martin

Thomas Ravn Petersen

Tine Fischer

Tony Tabatznik

Veerle Egbers

Yorinde Segal

Contact

Publicity (US)

Adam J. Segal of The 2050 Group

Tel: +1 212-642-4317, adam@the2050group.com

World Sales & Festivals

Cinephil 

info@cinephil.com

Tel: +972 3 566 4129

www.cinephil.com

Production Company

Final Cut for Real

Copenhagen, Denmark

Tel: +45 35436043

info@final-cut.dk

www.finalcutforreal.dk

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Reviews & Quotes

“The way this film confronts the fragility of democracy and the ever-looming possibility of violence hit home for this American viewer in a way that was both harrowing and humbling.”

“Intimate... Thrilling .... Riveting”

“Zimbabwe needs this film like a body needs oxygen. It has the potential to save lives, liberate the oppressed, and discover truths. There is no better purpose for filmmaking, than this.”

"A thrilling, enraging film, and its intimate access...is extraordinary."

"A devastating, heartened report of democracy in peril against a dictator."

"A remarkable story of bravery and determination against daunting oddsin Zimbabwe’s first “free and fair” elections...Chilling."

News

Democrats Website

Official Facebook Page

Watch

Educational Materials

Synopsis

Director

Camilla Nielsson

Background

Team

Cinephil

Facts

Credits

Contact

“The way this film confronts the fragility of democracy and the ever-looming possibility of violence
hit home for this American viewer in a way that was both harrowing and humbling.”

“Zimbabwe needs this film like a body needs oxygen. It has the potential to save lives,
liberate the oppressed, and discover truths. There is no better purpose for filmmaking, than this.”

"A remarkable story of bravery and determination against daunting odds
in Zimbabwe’s first “free and fair” elections...Chilling."