International Documentary Festival Amsterdam 2005
24 November, 4 december

Sisters in Law (England, 2005) by Kim Longinotto and Florence Ayisi will be the opening film at the 18th International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), to be held from 24 November through 4 December. In addition, IDFA will be presenting a retrospective programme of documentaries by French filmmaker and photographer Raymond Depardon, part of a large-scale overview of his work being organised by the Filmmuseum Amsterdam and the Nederlands Fotomuseum Rotterdam under the title Raymond Depardon: Filmer/Fotograaf [Raymond Depardon: Filmmaker/Photographer]. 

Sisters in Law follows the work of the female public prosecutor and judge in a small town in Cameroon.
On the basis of four different cases, whereby domestic violence plays a role, an impression is created of a traditional society in which women are slowly but surely learning to stand up for their rights. As in her previous work, such as Divorce Iranian Style (England, 1998) and The Day I will Never Forget (England, 2002), with Sisters in Law, Longinotto has made a probing and intimate film on the position of women. The film won this year's prestigious Prix Art et Essai in Cannes.

SISTERS IN LAW by Florence Ayisi/Kim Longinotto

"I'm afraid [the accused] has missed a century. This is the century where women's rights are respected," observes Judge Hortense Bam. Set in Kumba Town, Cameroon, Sisters in Law is a powerful case study of a society in transition and direct cinema at its best. The film captures the legal proceedings and courtroom drama surrounding several heart-felt stories. Six-year-old Grace was beaten by her wayward aunt. Young Sonita was raped by a neighbour, but is brave enough to do something about it. The subdued Amina seeks divorce from an abusive husband. Instead of playing victims, the women are empowered by the supportive climate created by Judge Bam and State Prosecutor Vera Ngassa, who foster courage in them every day. Master filmmaker Kim Longinotto has a compassionate camera eye, and an uncanny ability to be at the right place at the right time - always in the moment, discreet, culturally aware and sensitive. Co-director Florence Ayisi, who grew up in Kumba, believes the film will make people think beyond the stereotypes about Africa: "It shows women's courage, strength and determination to break away from their violent lives with the support of their sisters in the judicial system." This film moves us into an emotional, humanist space, one which provides positive hope for real change.

Raymond Depardon: Filmer / Fotograaf
On the evening of Friday, 25 November, a retrospective will be launched in Filmmuseum Cinerama of the work of French filmmaker and photographer Raymond Depardon, with the première of Profils Paysans: le Quotidien (France, 2005). In this follow-up to Profils Paysans: l'Approche (2000), Depardon once again films a number of farmers in central France. Profils Paysans: le Quotidien is a sober, meticulous portrait of a dying profession, which for Depardon represents the essence of French culture.

Depardon (Villefranche-sur-Saone, 1942) is known in the Netherlands principally for films such as Délits Flagrants (1994), Profils Paysans: l'Approche (2000) and La 10ième Chambre (2004), but is also regarded as an important photographer. IDFA will be screening more than thirty of his documentaries. After the festival, the Filmmuseum will continue to screen Depardon films, up to and including 5 February 2006. The Frenchman's photographic work can be seen from 26 November through 5 February 2006 in the Nederlands Fotomuseum Rotterdam. 
IDFA takes place from 24 November through 4 December in de Balie, the Pathé City Theater, Bellevue Cinerama and Paradiso. For further information, see www.idfa.nl.