JUSTICE MATTERS
SAABA
BRANDON KRAMER
Burkina Faso,
2017
47 minutes, Color
Official website
If all politics is local, as they say, then so is all peace. The town of Saaba in Burkina Faso has gained international attention for its efforts to combat divisions in a region affected by violent extremism; in the Sahel region of West Africa, it borders strongholds of both Boko Haram and ISIS, so security is no small matter. But resilience is only as strong as community, and that means tackling problems of local crime and everyday justice, child welfare, and neighborhood relations. This documentary in six short parts profiles five individuals—a genial police officer; an earnest vigilante; a devoted social worker; a Muslim cleric; and a tribal chief's spokesman—who come together in the last episode to share their concerns. Their efforts are sponsored by the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), which gave DC-based Meridian Pictures—director Brandon and producer Lance Kramer (City of Trees)—access for this fascinating, authentic work that is more than the sum of its parts.—Judy Bloch
In Mooré and French with English subtitles
A discussion about filmmaking and peacebuilding with Lance and Brandon Kramer of Meridian Hill Pictures and Philippe Leroux-Martin of USIP will follow the screening.
JUSTICE MATTERS
SAABA
BRANDON KRAMER
Burkina Faso,
2017
47 minutes, Color
Official website
If all politics is local, as they say, then so is all peace. The town of Saaba in Burkina Faso has gained international attention for its efforts to combat divisions in a region affected by violent extremism; in the Sahel region of West Africa, it borders strongholds of both Boko Haram and ISIS, so security is no small matter. But resilience is only as strong as community, and that means tackling problems of local crime and everyday justice, child welfare, and neighborhood relations. This documentary in six short parts profiles five individuals—a genial police officer; an earnest vigilante; a devoted social worker; a Muslim cleric; and a tribal chief's spokesman—who come together in the last episode to share their concerns. Their efforts are sponsored by the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), which gave DC-based Meridian Pictures—director Brandon and producer Lance Kramer (City of Trees)—access for this fascinating, authentic work that is more than the sum of its parts.—Judy Bloch
In Mooré and French with English subtitles
A discussion about filmmaking and peacebuilding with Lance and Brandon Kramer of Meridian Hill Pictures and Philippe Leroux-Martin of USIP will follow the screening.
Trailers may not have subtitles but all of our foreign language films do.
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