The White Line (La ligne blanche) by/de Desiree Kahikopo-Meiffre - Namibia | Namibie

 

Update: FESPACO 2021 

Feature film in competition

Désirée Kahikopo
The White Line (La ligne blanche)
2019
100min
Namibia | Namibie

The White Line is a romantic historical drama, set in 1963 in South West Africa (Namibia), in the height of South Africa’s apartheid rule in Namibia. It tells a story about a black maid who falls in love with a white police officer. Their love for each other grows over time through the letters they write each other. Their love endures many obstacles – one being the colour of their skin.

The White Line is a riveting untold love story about a man and woman who do not see race and colour, subconsciously going against society’s norms and finding solace in love in an era where love was restricted to only loving your kind. The White Line will shed light on the untold love stories of apartheid and what is now the new Namibia.

Dans un Sud-Ouest sud-africain soumis, dans les années 1960,  par l’Afrique du Sud à un renforcement des mesures d’apartheid, les amours interdites et condamnées de Sylvia, une jeune femme de ménage noire, et de Pieter, un officier de police afrikaner.

Bio: Desiree Kahikopo-Meiffret

Desiree Kahikopo-Meiffret is an award-winning director and producer with 12+ years’ experience in the Namibian film and theatre industry as an actress, creative director and playwright.

A Talents Durban alumna, Desiree’s debut film, The White Line, premiered at the Durban International Film Festival last year and went on to win multiple awards at the Namibian Theatre and Film Awards 2019 and the African Emerging Filmmakers Awards 2019. (Source: https://ladima.africa/meet-your-fellow-a-list-woman-in-film-desiree-kahikopo-meiffret-namibia/)

Desiree Kahikopo est une actrice, auteure, réalisatrice et productrice namibienne qui a participé depuis plus de 10 ans à de nombreuses activités théâtrales et cinématographiques. Elle a produit, réalisé et écrit sa toute première pièce intitulée Une vie de blues, qui a remporté le prix de la meilleure scénographie aux Namibian Theatre and Film Awards en 2014.

Elle a beaucoup fréquenté les plateaux de tournage, notamment en tant que productrice exécutive. The White Line La ligne blanche) est son premier long métrage. Il a été présenté en avant-première au 40e Festival international du film de Durban en 2019 et devrait sortir en Namibie en 2020. (Source: https://visionsdafrique.fr/intervenants/desiree-kahikopo/)

Namibian Women in Cinema, Visual Media and Screen Culture

Namibian Women in Cinema

Visual Media and Screen Culture

Namibian women in cinema culture, not unlike other African countries, are comprised of practitioners who live in Namibia, as well as in the various diasporic locations--both on the continent and beyond. Among the women who are working to tell, produce, promote and exhibit African stories are South African-based Bridget Pickering, veteran producer with strong ties to Southern African film production, Marinda Stein, the vice chairperson of the Filmmakers Association of Namibia, German-based Naomi Beukes-Meyer, telling stories from Berlin via the webisode series, The Centre, and the late Oshosheni Hiveluah, co-founder of the Windhoek-Harare-based company, Digitalafros.

In 2012 in cooperation with Sister Namibia, a women's rights awareness raising NGO, the German-founded AfricAvenir, organized the Women Filmmakers Get-together Breakfast featuring the works of Zimbabwean filmmaker/writer Tsitsi Dangarembga. Moreover, prominent Namibian women in the diverse sectors of society are invited to the question-and-answer discussions after the screenings of the AfricAvenir film series.

In 2014, AfriAvenir collaborated with the Franco Namibia Cultural Centre (FNNC) to sponsor bi-monthly film screenings. The goal of the initiative was to promote public awareness in Namibia about Namibian film heritage. In line with the objective of gender parity, “Women in Namibian Film” was a feature of the May event which included: Uno's World by Bridget Pickering, 100 Bucks by Oshosheni Hiveluah, and Tjiraa by Krischka Stoffels.

In 2013, RedHot Film Productions launched a Web Series on Namibian Women. The series, produced and directed by Marinda Stein, is a celebration of Namibian women, who are highlighted through a series of short interviews. The diverse women "share their stories of triumph, courage, hope, faith, love and journeys of light." 'The Women of Our World Series' profiled 13 women, including :  Johanna Benson, Paralympic Medalist; Antoinette de Chavonnes Vrugt, wife, mother, chef and author of "My Hungry Heart"; Lize Ehlers, performer, poet, actress and mother; Lizette Feris, the Child Right's Offier for the Media Institute of the welfare organization; Oshosheni Hiveluah, filmmaker, poet, daughter and sister; Marie Jeanne Ndimbira, advocate for quality competency based education, co-founder of the Physically Active Youth program; Dr. Helena Ndume, winner of the United Nations Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Prize for her sight-restoring work in Namibia.

Desiree Kahikopo, an alumna of the Talents Durban 2018, won best newcomer director of best film script and audience choice award at the Namibian Theatre and Film Awards 2019 for her debut film White Line.

Report by Beti Ellerson

Following are articles published in the African Women in Cinema Blog:

In Memory of Namibian filmmaker Oshosheni Hiveluah

https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2019/10/in-memory-of-namibian-filmmaker.html

FESPACO 2015 – Marinda Stein: “Coming Home” | "le retour" and Women of the World Series

https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2015/02/fespaco-2015-marinda-stein-coming-home.html

International Images International Film Festival for Women (IIFF) 2014 report by Oshosheni Hiveluah

https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2014/09/international-images-international-film.html

Naomi Beukes-Meyer (Germany-Namibia) launches crowdfunding for the 2nd Episode of THE CENTRE Web Series

https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2014/09/naomi-beukes-meyer-germany-namibia.html

AfricAvenir and the FNCC present Namibian Women in Film

https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2014/05/africavenir-and-fncc-present-namibian.html

Naomi Beukes-Meyer: a Namibian woman telling stories from Berlin

https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2013/11/naomi-beukes-meyer-namibian-woman.html

Women Matter at "African Perspectives", AfricAvenir Namibia Film Series 2012

https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2012/04/women-matter-at-african-perspectives.html

Oshosheni Hiveluah: A Portrait

https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2011/03/oshosheni-hiveluah-portrait.html

In Memory of Namibian filmmaker Oshosheni Hiveluah

In Memory of Namibian filmmaker Oshosheni Hiveluah

I have the sad news of the passing of Oshosheni Hiveluah on 09 October 2019. Let us give tribute to her, her work and her contribution to cinema. She will be dearly missed.

I am republishing excerpts of the interview with her on the African Women in Cinema Blog and her report of the 2014 International Images International Film Festival for Women (IIFF), also on the Blog.

Well in terms of growing up, I was born in exile in Angola. Since I was born during the war my perception was for a very long time very militant because of propaganda songs, videos and the lifestyle that I lived. Then I spent part of my childhood in the former GDR and my first cinema experience was so magical and enchanting-I think it was the 1984 film, Neverending Story and I was fascinated with cinemas from that day forth. This was the total opposite of what moving images had been for me before this, so as any child would have, I fell in love and hard. We didn't go to the cinema often but when we did I could not hide my enthusiasm for days ahead. Most of the regular weekly stuff I was exposed to were the TV shows like Batman etc. you know 80's shows-sitcoms, Cosby show, etc., but because we lived in a communist state the shows that were screened had to be in line with communistic ideals and of course all channels were majorly censored. Back in Namibia from 1990 I was exposed to a lot of commercial blockbuster Hollywood films and very few African films which made filmmaking in my eyes appear to be an exclusive and distant thing and for a selective few. Because I always wanted to tell stories however I opted for theatre at the time, because it was open to me to explore. Then I remember seeingSarraounia (Med Hondo, 1986) one evening as a teenager, a film shot in Burkina Faso, and it changed my outlook and perception on African cinema. I then started digging and searching for more foreign films, going to embassies for film screenings and trying to expose myself to films I was not accessing and films that had that heart, that passion that I shared when telling stories. Then I moved to Cape Town to study and I felt like I had arrived, there were alternative theaters (cinema nouveau and Labia) that screened independent films and it was during that time that I was also learning more about filmmaking, work on set, etc.

See the obituary at Namibi Insider: https://namibinsider.com/2019/10/10/remembering-namibian-filmmaker-oshosheni-hiveluah/

FESPACO 2015 – Marinda Stein: “Coming Home” | "le retour" and Women of the World Series

Fespaco 2015 – Short film in competition | court métrage en compétition

Coming Home | “le retour” (2014)

Marinda Stein : (Namibia | Namibie)

The filmmaker | La réalisatrice

[English]

Marinda Stein is a writer, director and producer, born in the southern town of Keetmanshoop in Namibia.

From a trainee/bursary student of the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC), Marinda Stein passionately pursued her dream of becoming a director. In 2000, after completing her National Diploma in Video Production in Durban, she returned to NBC. She was part of the pioneering team when ONE Africa Television was launched in November 2003 and, after five years of wearing the hat as Creative Director and Head of Production, took the bold step of joining the independent filmmaking market. She registered her own production company, RedHot Film Productions cc. and continued to produce and direct for the Namibian market.

Marinda Stein has directed a variety of genres over the years - LIVE TV broadcasts, magazine programs, game shows, social documentaries and corporate videos. She also directed and produced Namibia's 1st ever reality show, Just Fabulous, broadcasted on ONE Africa Television in 2009.

Her entry into the world of film came through her selection as co-writer and producer for the Namibian Film, Desert Soul Namibia/ Soul City SA in the One Love series, televised in 9 countries across Southern Africa, including South Africa in 2010. Marinda Stein directed various television commercials for major corporate players in the Namibian market, since 2010 to date. This ensured her a firm place in the local director's pool. In 2012 Marinda Stein directed a short educational film for GIPF, titled 'Your Claim, Your Right'. She was the producer of the short film 'Dead River' in the Namibia Film Commission's Film Project 2011/2012. 'Dead River' won 3 awards at the 2012 Namibia Film and Theatre Awards.

RedHot Film Production's on-going passion project, the Namibian Women Web Series, is Marinda Stein's longtime dream, embarked upon in 2012. The 13-part series, launched in August/September 2014 is printed on DVD.

[Français]

Marinda Stein est une écrivaine, réalisatrice, et productrice, née dans la ville de Keetmanshoop, située dans le sud de la Namibie.

D'une stagiaire/boursière de la Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC), (la société de télédiffusion namibienne), Marinda Stein poursuit avec passion son rêve de devenir réalisatrice. En 2000, après avoir obtenu son diplôme national dans la production vidéo à Durban, elle est revenue à la NBC. Elle faisait partie de l'équipe pionnière lors du lancement de la ONE Africa Television en Novembre 2003 et, après cinq ans de porter la casquette de Directrice de la Création et Chef de Production, elle a pris la décision audacieuse de rejoindre le marché du cinéma indépendant. Elle crée sa propre société de production, RedHot Film Productions, tout en continuant à produire et réaliser pour le marché namibien.

Marinda Stein a dirigé une variété de genres au fil des années - des émissions de télévision en direct, des magazines, des jeux télévisés, des documentaires sociaux et des vidéos d'entreprise. Elle a également réalisé et produit la toute première émission de télé-réalité en Namibie, « Just Fabulous”, diffusée sur ONE Africa Television en 2009. 

Elle fait son entrée dans le monde du cinéma en étant sélectionnée comme coscénariste et productrice pour le film namibien Desert Soul Namibia/Soul City SA de la série One Love, télévisée dans neuf pays à travers l'Afrique australe, dont l'Afrique du Sud en 2010. Depuis 2010 à ce jour Marinda Stein dirige diverses publicités télévisées pour les acteurs principaux d’entreprise sur le marché namibien. Ceci lui a assuré une place de choix dans la réserve des réalisateurs locaux. En 2012 Marinda Stein a dirigé un court métrage éducatif pour GIPF, intitulé « Your Claim, Your Right » (Votre revendication, votre droit). Elle aussi a produit le court métrage ‘Dead River’, un projet de la Namibia Film Commission 2011/2012. ‘Dead River’ a remporté trois prix lors de la Namibia Theatre and Cinema Awards en 2012.

Un projet favori de RedHot Film Production, the Namibian Women Web Series, entamé en 2012, est le rêve de longue date de Marinda Stein. La série de 13 épisodes lancée en août/septembre 2014, est disponible en DVD.

Synopsis 

[English]

The journey of a young woman haunted by her past until she goes to face it. Burdened by vague but unsettling childhood memories, Nia returns to her desolate hometown years later to face her stepfather. ‘Coming home’ is a young woman’s emotional journey of redemption.

[Français]

Le voyage d'une jeune femme hantée par son passé jusqu'au moment où elle décide d’y faire face. Accablé par des souvenirs d’enfance, vagues mais troublants, Nia retourne des années plus tard dans sa ville natale désolée pour confronter son beau-père. Coming home « le retour » est un voyage émotionnel de rédemption d'une jeune femme.

Source: Filmmakers Association of Namibia - http://www.filmmakers-association-namibia.com/about.html 

Updated to include details about the Women of Our World Series

This series is a celebration of our phenomenal Namibian women! Through short interviews, different women share their stories of triumph, courage, hope, faith, love and journeys of light. The series inspires, uplifts and encourages every woman to embrace all of who she is, rise above challenges, create harmony in all her relationships and live her best life ever! (Source: YouTube)

Some of the women featured include :  Johanna Benson, Antoinette de Chavonnes Vrugt, Lize Ehlers, Lizette Feris, Oshosheni Hiveluah, Marie Jeanne Ndimbira, and Dr. Helena Ndume.

The episodes included on YouTube are as follows:

Episode 1 - Featuring Namibian performer, poet, actress and mother Lize Ehlers! This unconventional, feisty artist from the dusty southern town of Mariental, takes us on an inspiring journey of her entrance to the Namibian music scene, her everyday joys and pleasures, inspiration and life lessons. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKCmuJxfgQg

Episode 2 - Featuring Namibian filmmaker, poet, daughter and sister, Oshosheni Hiveluah. With her gentle, soulful nature, Oshosheni revisits her most memorable childhood moments that introduced her to storytelling. She shares her brave plunge into the world of filmmaking, her love for poetry, and her growth and life lessons as a woman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNBAuAOwDlc

Episode 3 - Featuring Namibian wife, mother, chef and author of 'My Hungry Heart', Antoinette de Chavonnes Vrugt. Come along on an unpretentious, delightful journey as Antoinette opens her warm Namibian heart and takes us through her life and into her kitchen. She ponders on her passion for family, food and travel, and shares profound lessons about life. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3zla6zqq78

Episode 4 - Featuring Johanna Benson, Namibian paralympic medalist, shares her journey of challenge, courage and triumph. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lli7e9P_K74

AfricAvenir and the FNCC present Namibian Women in Film

AfricAvenir and the FNCC present Namibian Women in Film

100 Bucks | Uno’s World | Tjiraa

In order to promote public awareness in Namibia about Namibian film heritage, AfricAvenir and the FNCC screen Namibian cinematic products on a bimonthly basis. The month of May will see the focus on “Women in Namibian Film”.

On 14 May, 18h30, AfricAvenir & the FNCC present three short films by female directors from Namibia, namely Bridget Pickering, Oshosheni Hiveluah, and Krischka Stoffels.  The screening takes place at the FNCC, entrance 20,- Nam$ 

The films presented are:

Uno’s World, directed by Bridget Pickering, 2002, 26 min

Uno (Sophie David), a sexually inexperienced young woman, gets involved with a womanizer, Kaura (Muhindua Kaura), which leads to an unplanned pregnancy. When Kaura refuses to take responsibility for their child, and starts avoiding Uno, she leaves the baby in the care of her mother and goes to dangerous lengths to track Kaura down.

100 Bucks, directed by Oshosheni Hiveluah, 2012, 25 min

What would you risk for the love of money? "100 Bucks" is an urban story of the journey of a 100-Namibia-dollar note that passes from hands of wealth to hands of need and through thieving hands. The journey of the note gives a lens for brief insights into the lives of different characters that weave in and out of each other’s lives and the daily struggles they face. 

Tjiraa, directed by Krischka Stoffels, 2012, 18 min

Vezuva, a modern ovaHerero woman, finds herself between a rock and a hard place. After completing her studies abroad and returning home, Vezuva learns that she has to marry her cousin. This is a custom in her culture, but Vezuva hopes for a compromise as she loves someone else. She pleads with her mother; but her mother makes a compelling argument that convinces Vezuva to continue with the wedding. The marriage is doomed from the start and Vezuva’s tries to reach out to her mother, but her pleas fall on deaf ears. Vezuva's only confidant is her sister, who she soon realizes, might soon face a similar fate as hers.

© Copyright AfricAvenir 2014

Oshosheni Hiveluah: A Portrait

Oshosheni Hiveluah

Oshosheni please talk a bit about yourself? What was it like for you growing up in terms of films and images that you were exposed to?

Well in terms of growing up, I was born in exile in Angola. Since I was born during the war my perception was for a very long time very militant because of propaganda songs, videos and the lifestyle that I lived. Then I spent part of my childhood in the former GDR and my first cinema experience was so magical and enchanting-I think it was the 1984 film, Neverending Story and I was fascinated with cinemas from that day forth. This was the total opposite of what moving images had been for me before this, so as any child would have, I fell in love and hard. We didn't go to the cinema often but when we did I could not hide my enthusiasm for days ahead. Most of the regular weekly stuff I was exposed to were the TV shows like Batman etc. you know 80's shows-sitcoms, Cosby show, etc., but because we lived in a communist state the shows that were screened had to be in line with communistic ideals and of course all channels were majorly censored. Back in Namibia from 1990 I was exposed to a lot of commercial blockbuster Hollywood films and very few African films which made filmmaking in my eyes appear to be an exclusive and distant thing and for a selective few. Because I always wanted to tell stories however I opted for theatre at the time, because it was open to me to explore. Then I remember seeing Sarraounia (Med Hondo, 1986) one evening as a teenager, a film shot in Burkina Faso, and it changed my outlook and perception on African cinema. I then started digging and searching for more foreign films, going to embassies for film screenings and trying to expose myself to films I was not accessing and films that had that heart, that passion that I shared when telling stories. Then I moved to Cape Town to study and I felt like I had arrived, there were alternative theaters (cinema nouveau and Labia) that screened independent films and it was during that time that I was also learning more about filmmaking, work on set, etc.

So what finally brought you to cinema?

I studied multimedia at City Varsity and during 2003/4 year I was renting with a friend and our landlord and landlady were a producer and an art director. I found their work fascinating and went on set once or twice and laid my eyes on the wonderful world of cinema and film. I was in awe, but did not get in contact with film until a year later. I went to work in the theatre, because it was safe I had always been exposed to theatre and had always been part of theatre groups during high school, until I wrote a script for a student film which was selected for a workshop during our local film festival (which has since died-Wild Cinema International Film Festival), which I then directed and decided to take on a job as a production assistant in 2005 to learn about filmmaking because I realised this was something I could see myself doing for a while to come. I spent four years with the company working and exploring almost every area of film (I was hungry and just wanted to learn what it takes to make a film) from casting, grips to light, make up etc, but was most intrigued by directing and did a lot of 2nd and 1st AD jobs as well as producing and production coordinating. Yea so that's kind of my summarized journey and now I work as a freelance casting agent, director and writer in Windhoek.

What was your experience making the film Cries at Night?

Cries at Night is my debut short film as a film director and how exciting it has been. I have done a couple of student films I am interested in the human psyche, I am interested in how we as people relate to one another and exploring human emotions within the context of conflict, love, understanding, peace, etc.

Interview by Beti Ellerson (March 2011) 

Cries at Night by Oshosheni Hiveluah

Synopsis of the film Cries at Night

Lazarus meets Victor during an accident in which his niece is involved. Something about Victor leaves Lazarus restless and he can’t forget the encounter or the man. His restlessness turns into obsession when he begins to follow Victor and kidnaps him and locks him in a dark cellar. There they embark on a trip down memory lane. Victor is revealed as Lazarus’ former torturer who tormented and traumatized him in the dungeons before Namibia’s independence. Lazarus finds it hard to deal with his past, which has haunted him in his dreams ever since and craves for forgiveness and healing.

Director's Statement

Being born during the time of the Namibian liberation struggle I have always had a keen interest about the happenings of that time, mainly because I was raised in an environment with strong political motives. When I was younger and living in a refugee home with several other children there were always stories about certain traitors of SWAPO, who had betrayed our soldiers.

Now that I have grown older and more open minded I am keen to explore how it must feel for traitors to be living in a country they were accused of betraying. I strongly feel that regardless of our histories and past, especially amongst African people themselves, we need to learn to overcome our differences and reconcile, but this can only happen if we address the issues that have caused us pain in the past. It’s definitely a personal journey that every person chooses to walk or to not walk. With this film I hope to inspire first and foremost healing of self, which can hopefully trigger bigger things. I would also like to encourage discussion and debates around sensitive issues in order for us as a nation to overcome as opposed to licking our wounds and crying over spilt milk and learn to forgive ourselves and others.

Producer Statement (Media Logistics Nambia CC For Film and Performing Arts)

Namibia is a country, extremely popular for its film location for foreign productions, but however even if there are plenty of Namibian stories waiting to be told, local filmmakers still struggle considerably to tell their own stories. To me as a producer it is of great importance to work with local crews and being able to tell truly Namibian stories.

The main theme of ‘Cries at night’ explores the issue of reconciliation amongst the inhabitants of Namibia. Following fifteen years of independence and the election of Namibia’s second president in 2005 it is slowly time for a new Namibian generation to emerge. It is a generation that is growing up in a democratic state, open minded and not pre - occupied with the trials of the apartheid regime. It should be a generation honoring their forefathers for creating this nation but also a generation discussing and addressing issues concerning the past, the present and the future of their country. Only by confronting these issues we can find ways of overcoming them and to grow stronger as a nation. With this film we want to create awareness and initiate discussions on reconciliation within the borders of the country.