ONE PEOPLE International Film Festival (OPIFF)

ABOUT

One People International Film Festival - Cape Town (OPIFF) champions content creators from around the world regardless of language, origin, orientation, race, or religion. BRICS countries have availed compelling indigenous short stories, as well as stories about the impact of COVID 19, presenting a snapshot of related matters from the developing world. Browse through the entire selection of movies to be screened, by scrolling down this page, or proceed to ticket sales, find the movie or movies that pique your interest, and reference the related information here. Purchase an access pass and you can view your movie of choice (once), in the comfort of your own home, for up to 7 days from 6 May 2021.

Herewith the list of films featured, with a synopsis of pertinent information.

FILM 1

Khoe Khoe Saga - Documentary - Directed By Johann Abrahams - Duration: 67 minutes

A thought-provoking film that explores the cultural genocide, and dispossession of land inflicted on South Africa’s indigenous people, the Khoekhoe. Today Khoekhoe and San revivalists demand recognition of this sad history and reparation for the injustices of the not too distant past.

FILM 2 - BRICS Bouquet

Short Stories about Covid 19 Impact in BRICS Countries- Duration 2,7 Hours

Lindela Under Lockdown - Directed by Sihle Hlope - Duration 8 minutes. During level 5 of the national lockdown, a Congolese man is detained at Lindela, the largest facility for the holding of undocumented migrants in South Africa. In an effort to expose the gross human rights violations that he is subjected to, and the lack of safety regulations around Covid-19, he leaks cell phone video footage to his older brother on the outside.

Meela Magizhvu | Everlasting Happiness - Directed by Kaga - Duration 3,15 minutes

As the country went into a strict lockdown to control the rapid spread of COVID- 19, The city of Chennai went through testing times and faced a daunting situation like none seen before. As people were left with fear and questions on how to keep themselves safe, they were facing its worst financial crisis.

Meela Magizhvu tells this heart-wrenching story as we glide through a birds-eye-view of this incredible city. As lockdown is being eased through the festive season we are now at a place where we have to take care of ourselves and make smart decisions when we gather for celebrations.

144-Innuyir Kaakka - Directed by Kaga - Duration 6,19 minutes

This short video was shot in the middle of the Corona Pandemic. Shot, Edited, and Re-Recorded in a very short period without a single meeting. Everything happened through messages, voice notes, phone calls, and video calls except for the filming on location. Since it's a complete lockdown, we have not used any artists except people from the police department.

LOCKDOWN - OMSK Television Company - Duration 47,16 minutes

This film was created in the summer of 2020 when the degree of expectation of a normal life went beyond the limit, but people

have already learned to live in a new reality. In order to reach each other, they had to digitalize their everyday life, and their work, and their consciousness. How has the pandemic changed the world's cultural landscape? How do musicians, artists, and actors feel today after months of self-isolation? And will a new reality and the era of digital art await us? ”Lockdown” is an imprint of the times and events taking place in 2020 in the creative industry.

Just Grace - Duration 37,23 minutes

This documentary takes a look at the effect COVID-19 had on the people of Namaqualand. Here each individual interviewed will share their different experiences during this pandemic and how they pulled through.

A Hospital's Battle against COVID 19 - Guangxi Radio and TV - 48 minutes

Through the timeline of the starting, struggling and fierce fighting at Nanxishan Hospital, the story is unfolded from the 50-day experience of the medical staff in an objective and pragmatic perspective. The film presents the professional attitude and methods of response of an ordinary public tertiary Health Facility in China.

International families during the Pandemic - Jiayu Zhang - 5,45 minutes

Jiayu believes that home is always the warmest place for people. All of us have our own small family, together making up our whole country. Maybe foreign families during the pandemic are the epitome of each of us during this special time in the world.

International Volunteer during the Pandemic - Nic Li Ding - 6,57 minutes

International Volunteer during the Pandemic is a short film, in which the director told a Chengdu story through an international volunteer and through the warm heart of the citizens.

FILM 3

Citation - Drama, Thriller - Directed by Kunle Afolayan - Starring Jimmy Jean-Louis, Temi Otedola, Bukunmi Oluwashina - Duration: 2 h 13minutes

A bright student in Nigeria takes on the academic establishment when she reports a popular professor who tried to rape her. Based on real events.

FILM 4

Hard Livings - Documentary - Directed by Jason Staggie - Duration: 95 minutes

Hard Livings is a documentary film about a family but in effect it a film about a city, a country, and a continent plagued by ills stemming

from inequality. It's a film that has no choice but to be entertaining because the story is so compelling, yet it's a film rooted in the quest for

solutions - for entertainment only serves to distract, solutions are what the world really needs.

FILM 5

Riding With Sugar - Drama - Directed by Sunu Gonera - Starring Charles Mnene, Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Simona Brown - Duration: 1 h 46minutes

A coming-of-age, feel-good story about a young refugee's quest for BMX glory and the pursuit of identity, safety, happiness, and love.

FILM 6 - BRICS Bouquet

Indigenous Short Films - Duration: 149 minutes

Pedro Tenorio And The Hoe Of An Illiterate Poet - 23 minutes - Directed by Jefferson Sousa. Pedro is a descendant of the "Kapinawa's" Indians, a middle tribe found in the interior of the states of Pernambuco and Paraiba in the early twentieth century.

“While the Covid-19 pandemic is hitting the world, Pedro Tenorio lives in the social isolation that has always been: in a small town on

the outskirts of Pernambuco. What he plants and drinks water from the rivers and reservoirs surrounding his home, reflecting a society that is beyond his land

The Last Fair - Directed By Tharciele Santiago - Duration: 21. With the transfer to the annex building of the market and to the

new stage of the commercial center of Cais de Santa Rita, workers share their personal stories involving the place, in the register of

the last day of the fair around the São José Market

A Mindful Trip Around Chengdu - Directed By Zee Peng - Duration 12 minutes. No matter what time people are in, the spirit in poetry can be everlasting, and that’s why a 10-year-old Chinese boy and an American poet could feel the same about a Chinese poet in ancient times

Baskunchak Lake - Directed By Andrey Titov - Duration: 26 minutes. Baskunchak Lake is unique to many. This is the only visible

reminder of the Khvalynsk Sea that once splashed here. Salinity is 300 grams per liter as in the Dead Sea. The land around the lake stores

evidence stores of the presence of the Scythians, Sarmatians, the Khazar Kaganate, and the Golden Horde. Exceptional natural

diversity, insects, reptiles, and birds from the Red Book, richens an unprecedented combination of herbs and plants ... But, perhaps,

the main discovery and noteworthy of these places are people.

FILM 7

Tell My Story - Documentary - Directed By David Freid - Starring Jason Reid, Mariangela Abeo, Mark Goulston - Duration: 1 h 25minutes

A grieving father (Jason Reid) seeks answers after his 14-year-old son Ryan dies by suicide. He uncovers painful truths about the lives of teens, the impact of unfettered access to the internet and social media, and the shocking rise of depression among America’s youth. The journey brings him together with young suicide survivors, prevention experts, and parents trying to understand the 70% increase in adolescent suicide. Closer to home, with his family fractured, he examines his son’s technology use to discover what no parent wants to find. Seeking to find the warning signs that were missed, he instead finds ways to reverse the isolation and disconnectedness that is killing our youth.

FILM 8

In The Land of Ou Makai - Drama - Directed By Richard Wicksteed - Duration: 90 minutes

One Bushman family’s struggle to reclaim their history and their land after four generations of genocide, dispossession, and uncertain freedom in post-apartheid South Africa.

FILM 9

Generation Free

FILM 10

THE SIT DOWN SHANNON ELIZABETH - Exclusive sit down with Hollywood actress Shannon Elizabeth talking about working in Hollywood but also her love for animals. Shannon now lives in South Africa and set up a Foundation, the Shannon Elizabeth Foundation. Watch this exclusive interview. 

The festival aims to create an intimate and collaborative space for filmmakers, holding a range of events from masterclasses by renowned cinema professionals, an array of international film and cutting-edge documentary programs, co-production networking opportunities, and elegant Red-Carpet Premieres.

With an emphasis on showcasing films that celebrate diversity and inclusion, OPIFF’s exquisite program of diverse narratives, documentary, and animated films will contribute to uniting communities from across the globe.

In addition, the Festival recognizes the First, Native, and Indigenous Peoples of the world and is committed to supporting and championing filmmakers from these marginalized communities. The Festival aims to provide a platform that showcases an inclusive ONE World on its big screens.