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”
“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.”
"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."
"A thrilling, enraging film, and its intimate access...is extraordinary."
"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."
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
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
Twitter Space session with director Camilla Nielsson, Jan 24, 2022 (youtube link)
Twitter Space session with director Camilla Nielsson, Jan 10, 2022 (youtube link)
PRESIDENT UK premiere - with MDC spokesperson Nkululeko Sibanda, Jan 9, 2022 (youtube link)
Conversation with director Camilla Nielsson, Dec 20, 2021
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.
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.
“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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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 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 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 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.
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
© Final Cut for Real, Louverture Films & Sant & Usant
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
Anonymous
Anonymous
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
Anonymous
Anonymous
Anonymous
ADDITIONAL RECORDINGS
Bruno Amakiri
Joseph Yamoah
ARCHIVAL RESEARCHER
Anonymous
Gail Behrmann
ADDITIONAL SOUND RECORDINGS
Anonymous
Anonymous
Anonymous
Anonymous
Anonymous
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
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
Production Company
Final Cut for Real
Copenhagen, Denmark
Tel: +45 35436043