Synopsis
The use of oil painted animation brings to life the stories of three powerful women in post-conflict Sierra Leone, revealing the violence and corruption women face as they fight for fairer representation in the governance of their country. The story of the ten-year battle to achieve fair representation for women in the governance of Sierra Leone is revealed to us with passion by three extraordinary women from diverse backgrounds.
Bernadette, Salamatu, and Barbara share their stories of the ‘roadblocks’ women face within the world of politics in Sierra Leone. The film moves effortlessly between Em Cooper’s exquisite oil-painted animation and live action video, transforming issues of gender and politics into compelling and thought-provoking viewing.
Commissioned by Pathways for Women’s Empowerment and Screen South. Funded by Real World Films.
About the Filmmaker
Anna Cady is a contemporary artist based in the UK. She often makes work with people who are not visual artists – a young child, a girl with cerebral palsy, a dancer, a billboard painter in India or a friend with a life threatening illness. The work becomes a part of the conversation between the artist, the collaborator and the audience. Anna works with a variety of media – including short films, pinhole and digital photography, drawing and text. Her short films have screened nationally in the UK, including Tate Modern and the Whitechapel Gallery, and internationally at festivals, including the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.
More from the Filmmaker
I often work with people who have a need to tell their story, and who find that being creative gives them not only a voice, but also hope. I make my own work through them and beside them, whilst enabling them to make their own which is both inspiring and satisfying. Now I find myself collaborating with scholars and artists from other disciplines through my current project Elemental Dialogues. Exploring what it means to interpret film-poems (but not to translate!) as I pass our film onto other artists for interpretation. We find that there is no one truth, there are only competing stories.
