Zanzibar Global Health Film Festival 2024

The New Boats (2022)

Directed by Lansana Mansaray (Barmmy Boy), 49 mins

The New Boats is an investigative documentary that presents an eye-opening look at the impact of international industrialized fishing in West African waters and its disastrous effect on local communities at a critical point in Sierra Leone's history.

The village of Tombo is one of the largest artisanal fishing ports in Sierra Leone - providing nearly 90% of the protein eaten in the country.

Tombo had flourished in the Freetown Peninsula since pre-colonial times but in recent decades this prosperity has been on the decline due to an influx of Asian trawlers overfishing on its shores with clandestine support from corrupt officials. 

As a result, local fishermen of all ages are frequently forced to abandon life in Tombo and migrate in search of work. The women of the village have also lost their traditional livelihood, processing the catch and selling at market. 

Sulaiman Kamara and other local fishermen are passionately advocating on behalf of Tombo, in a desperate attempt to prevent an environmental disaster with West African fisheries on the brink of collapse.

Global Health Film hosted the UK Premiere of The New Boats in June 2022 plus international premieres and screenings around the world

I Am Belmaya (2021)

Directed by Sue Carpenter and Belmaya Nepali, 81 mins

African Premiere

Dominated by her husband, her family and society, Belmaya is desperate for independence. But in much of Nepal, men rule and women obey. Here, in one of the poorest nations on earth, women are daughters, wives, mothers, dependents and, all too often, victims and slaves - but rarely individuals in their own right.

Born a Dalit (the lowest, ‘untouchable’ caste), orphaned at the age of nine, poorly educated, and trapped in an abusive marriage with a baby daughter, Belmaya, 21, has given up hope of finding happiness.

Rewind to 2006, when Belmaya, at 14, participated in a photo project at a girls’ home in Pokhara. Impassioned and inspired, she was keen to change her discriminatory world through photography. But that window closed when the home locked away her camera.

Now she gets a second chance, this time to train in documentary filmmaking. Picking up the camera once more, her old spark returns. Determined to create a better life for her young daughter, Belmaya gains the skills and confidence to forge a new path. But are her resentful husband and conservative community ready for this?

An inspirational tale of rebellion, love and hope, shot over five years, as Belmaya battles to takes charge of her story.

Global Health Film hosted the World Premiere of I Am Belmaya in December 2020 plus additional premieres and screenings around the world

WOMENstruate (2019)

Directed by Lauren Anders Brown, 52 minutes

African Premiere

At any given time, 800 million people across the world are menstruating. It should be just another facet of daily life, yet for many women menstruation comes with a great stigma and taboo.

WOMENstruate gives an unflinching vignette into the lives of seven women from across Africa and their experiences with menstruation, without shying away from the taboo. 

Cyclones in Mozambique, homelessness in South Africa, HIV positivity in Eswatini, and refugee camps in South Sudan are just some of the stories told by these women and girls. The women may be of different generations and live in different countries, but the message given by all is the same: menstruation is normal. 

When director Lauren Anders Brown set out to film WOMENstruate, she planned to do it in 4-7 days, the average length of a woman’s period, as an ode to what a woman can achieve with the right resources and support. It was filmed in 6 days.

Global Health Film hosted the World Premiere of WOMENstruate in December 2019 plus screenings around the world

Solstice (2022)

Directed by Helen Newman, 57 mins

African Premiere

When 15-year-old Mary Baker took her own life after a three-year battle with a serious mental illness, the stigma and silence that surrounds suicide compounded her family's grief and isolation.

Solstice documents the extraordinary story of Mary's parents, Annette and Stuart, as this personal tragedy propelled them into the public space to confront the challenges of mental illness and help to end the heartbreaking loneliness of those left behind when a person dies by suicide.

Stumbling on Mary's poetry after her death, her writings became Annette and Stuart's imprimatur for bravely speaking into the silence. They share their struggles and the challenges they faced as they prepared to bring a conversation around suicide into their home town's main square, through a unique collectively healing event, 'Winter Solstice'.

Unintentionally and unexpectedly they became firebrands for better mental health support and, as their determination grew, they reached out to anyone who would help them in their mission to create the change that may have saved their daughter.

Through intimate interviews, archival footage, verité events, animations and a nuanced, layered soundscape, Solstice draws together the threads of a world always shadowed by grief yet filled to the brim with determination and hope, seeking to unite, challenge and change how we respond to our collective mental health crisis now and into the future.

Global Health Film hosted the UK Premiere of Solstice in November 2022 plus screenings around the world

Live Till I Die (2022)

Directed by Gustav Ågerstrand, Åsa Ekman, Oscar Hedin Hetteberg and Anders Teigen (73 mins)

Zanzibar Premiere

At Kyrkbyn, a state-run old people's home on the outskirts of Stockholm, many of the residents will soon turn 100 years old. Some of them didn’t even know each other’s names until an activity coach was hired to bring them together. With her warm, engaging personality and an endless supply of ideas, Monica reawakens their youthful spirit, turning them into a playful gang who are always ready to crack an unexpected joke or participate in spa sessions, boxing lessons and themed dinners.
 
Ella, a 99-year-old gracious and cheerful lady who doesn’t have any close family, develops a very strong connection to Monica. When Ella has her leg amputated and her health worsens, Monica organizes a big celebration for her 100th birthday and takes her back to the village where she grew up. 

Whilst a joyful experience, this becomes an emotional roller-coaster for Monica, confronted by the fear of losing the people around her.

Live Till I Die explores what it means to live life to the fullest right up to our final days, while embracing with humour, candour, and dignity the ups and downs of getting old and losing our independence.

Global Health Film hosted the UK Premiere of Live Till I Die in November 2022