Southern Docs: Alter-Ciné Foundation Award Winners

Ernesto Cabellos

I am a member of the Board of directors of the Alter-Ciné Foundation which issues grants each year for filmmakers from southern countries. Recently the Foundation revealed the three prizes winners for the year 2007 who obtained grants of 5000$ for their projects. This is who they are:
Hector Cadena of Mexico for his documentary project Agua (Water) a documentary about the future of the world’s water which is told in an original way through 4 stories and 4 destinies which are seemingly independent one from the other, yet intersect around the first ‘water war’ of this century in a Bolivian town.

Hector Cadena Photo Tin Dirdamal.

Khady Sylla from Senegal for her project Le monologue de la muette (monologue of the dumb woman) a personal documentary which tries to lift the veil on the hidden realities about the lives of the tribal sérères domestics who are like invisible workers with no legal protection in Senegal. The filmmaker wants to question the nature of the emancipation of urban middle class women who have the control over these young girls from the back country who come and work in the city.

Ernesto Cabellos from Peru for his project Operacion diablo (Operation Devil) a political investigation which unravels like that of a political thriller. It sheds light on the use of surveillance in a Peruvian gold mine, to spy, to film, to intimidate and repress militant environmentalists because they are opposed to illegal methods and the way the multinational corporation contaminates the ground .

I would also like to draw your attention to the fact that the Foundation has collected nearly 5000$ so far this year and that the fundraising effort continues. The objective is to reach 6, 500$, like last year. If you want to support the Alter-Ciné effort, you can forward your donation either on line by Canadahelps website or by sending a cheque in the name of La Fondation Alter-Cine to the following address
5371 avenue de l’Esplanade,
Montréal, QC.
H2T2Z8

( Thanks to Jeanne Pope for help with this post.)