OTTAWA (AFP) - The Toronto International Film Festival, which opens in September, will showcase movies about the origins of WikiLeaks, the rise of Nelson Mandela, and slavery in America, organizers announced Tuesday.
North America's largest film festival opens in six weeks, with fiction taking a backseat to movies about actual events.
Bill Condon's "The Fifth Estate," starring Benedict Cumberbatch as WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will kick off the 38th edition of the festival.
"This dramatic thriller based on real events reveals the quest to expose the deceptions and corruptions of power that turned an Internet upstart into the 21st century's most fiercely debated organization," a statement said.
The film chronicles the beginnings of WikiLeaks and asks "the defining question of modern time: what are the costs of keeping secrets in a free society - and what are the costs of exposing them?"
The film also stars David Thewlis, Stanley Tucci, Laura Linney, Anthony Mackie and Dan Stevens.
"It's a film about what we believe is one of the most important issues of the day: information and who controls it," festival artistic director Cameron Bailey told a press conference.
The film festival, which gets underway on September 5 and runs through September 15, showcases hundreds of feature and short films.
It is the biggest film festival in North America and has traditionally been a key event for Oscar-conscious studios and distributors.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of its MidnightMadness scary movies series, and organizers will be celebrating "shock, horror and madness" with a free screening of the slasher "All the Boys Love Mandy Lane."
Bailey also announced screenings for some 40 films by directors from South Africa, France, Canada, South Korea, Australia, Germany, the United States and Britain that he said "capture the mood of the times."
These include Justin Chadwick's "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom," based on the former South African president's autobiography chronicling his early life, coming of age, education, and 27 years in prison before working to rebuild his country's once-segregated society.
The film stars Idris Elba as Nelson Mandela, and Naomie Harris as his wife Winnie Mandela.
Jonathan Teplitzky meanwhile retells the epic true story of British Army officer Eric Lomax's confronting of a Japanese interpreter he holds responsible for his torture in a Japanese labor camp during World War II, in "The Railway Man."
It stars Academy Award winners Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman.
Director Steve McQueen's "12 Years A Slave," with Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti and Brad Pitt, looks back at the struggles of a free black man from upstate New York who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in 1841.
Meanwhile, Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep team up for John Wells' American Midwestern family drama "August: Osage County."
The movie, hailed by the festival as "dark, hilarious and deeply touching," is based on Tracy Letts's Pulitzer Prize-winning 2007 play of the same name.
Showing posts with label Nelson Mandela. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nelson Mandela. Show all posts
Tuesday, 23 July 2013
Sunday, 21 July 2013
South Africa urges Nigerians to pray for Nelson Mandela
Lagos - Amb. Mokgethi Monaisa, Consul-General of the South African High Commission in Nigeria, on Sunday urged Nigerians to join in prayers for former South African President, Dr Nelson Mandela’s quick recovery.
Monaisa in Lagos, said that South Africans were “earnestly praying” for their former president’s recovery, and would also need the prayers of the Nigerian people.
``As we all know, our former president is in hospital right now. South Africans are holding special prayer sessions for him, because we cannot afford to miss him.
[caption id="attachment_279534" align="alignnone" width="412"]
File photo: Nelson Mandela[/caption]
``We are also calling on our Nigerian brothers and sisters, to join us in praying for his quick recovery. We know that Nigerians and the rest of the world also hold him in high esteem.
``We believe that Nigeria and South Africa are close allies. So we need to jointly pray for him to live for many more years,” he said.
The envoy said that Mandela’s leadership qualities, as exemplified in the emancipation of South Africa, would forever remain indelible in the minds of the people.
Monaisa also recalled Mandela’s role in the fight against apartheid, racism, poverty, corruption and inequality in South Africa.
``We still need him, because he contributed immensely to the attainment of today’s South Africa.
``We were all happy when the UN set aside an International Day for our illustrious son. How many other African leaders have had such global honour bestowed on them.
``We can all see how important, and why we all need to pray for him to see more years,'' he said.
The consul-general said there was a lot for present and upcoming African leaders to learn from Mandela’s “selfless leadership qualities”.
He added that one of the ways they could achieve that was to “shun corruption, poor governance, self-aggrandisement and politics of rancour”.
The UN has declared July 18 as the Nelson Mandela International Day, as a way of recognising the Nobel Prize winner's contribution to reconciliation.
Mandela, who turned 95 three days ago, is spending his 43rd day in hospital,, with complications associated with old age. (NAN)
Monaisa in Lagos, said that South Africans were “earnestly praying” for their former president’s recovery, and would also need the prayers of the Nigerian people.
``As we all know, our former president is in hospital right now. South Africans are holding special prayer sessions for him, because we cannot afford to miss him.
[caption id="attachment_279534" align="alignnone" width="412"]
File photo: Nelson Mandela[/caption]``We are also calling on our Nigerian brothers and sisters, to join us in praying for his quick recovery. We know that Nigerians and the rest of the world also hold him in high esteem.
``We believe that Nigeria and South Africa are close allies. So we need to jointly pray for him to live for many more years,” he said.
The envoy said that Mandela’s leadership qualities, as exemplified in the emancipation of South Africa, would forever remain indelible in the minds of the people.
Monaisa also recalled Mandela’s role in the fight against apartheid, racism, poverty, corruption and inequality in South Africa.
``We still need him, because he contributed immensely to the attainment of today’s South Africa.
``We were all happy when the UN set aside an International Day for our illustrious son. How many other African leaders have had such global honour bestowed on them.
``We can all see how important, and why we all need to pray for him to see more years,'' he said.
The consul-general said there was a lot for present and upcoming African leaders to learn from Mandela’s “selfless leadership qualities”.
He added that one of the ways they could achieve that was to “shun corruption, poor governance, self-aggrandisement and politics of rancour”.
The UN has declared July 18 as the Nelson Mandela International Day, as a way of recognising the Nobel Prize winner's contribution to reconciliation.
Mandela, who turned 95 three days ago, is spending his 43rd day in hospital,, with complications associated with old age. (NAN)
Friday, 19 July 2013
Tutu pays tribute to Mandela after hospital visit
JOHANNESBURG (AFP) - A day after turning 95, Nelson Mandela was Friday visited by fellow peace laureate, archbishop Desmond Tutu, who praised him for continuing to inspire the world even from his sickbed.
"We have a special gift in a man who can unite not only South Africa but the world, even from his sickbed," Tutu told journalists outside a Pretoria hospital where the anti-apartheid icon is critically ill.
[caption id="attachment_404882" align="alignnone" width="412"]
South Africa's Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu (R) and staff from the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy hold up a poster wishing Nelson Mandela a happy birthday at the Marconi Beam Public Primary School in Cape Town on AFP PHOTO[/caption]
Tutu said he found Mandela asleep but managed to hold his hand.
"He inspired us to become a great country and the world to become compassionate," he said.
Tutu also read the messages of support posted by the public on the wall of the MediClinic Hospital.
Mandela celebrated his 95th birthday on Thursday, six weeks after he was admitted in hospital for treatment for a respiratory condition. The much-loved icon spent the day surrounded by his family in hospital and also received a visit from President Jacob Zuma and other prominent politicians.
Mandela's granddaughter Ndileka described him as "steady and improving."
His condition had in the last two weeks said to have been "precarious".
Mandela's birthday, which was in 2010 declared by the United Nations as the International Mandela Day, is dedicated to good courses.
People are urged to spent 67 minutes of their time doing charity work. The number symbolises the years Mandela spent in politics.
Mandela was rushed to hospital on June 8 with a recurring lung infection that had already put him in hospital three times in less than a year.
"We have a special gift in a man who can unite not only South Africa but the world, even from his sickbed," Tutu told journalists outside a Pretoria hospital where the anti-apartheid icon is critically ill.
[caption id="attachment_404882" align="alignnone" width="412"]
South Africa's Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu (R) and staff from the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy hold up a poster wishing Nelson Mandela a happy birthday at the Marconi Beam Public Primary School in Cape Town on AFP PHOTO[/caption]Tutu said he found Mandela asleep but managed to hold his hand.
"He inspired us to become a great country and the world to become compassionate," he said.
Tutu also read the messages of support posted by the public on the wall of the MediClinic Hospital.
Mandela celebrated his 95th birthday on Thursday, six weeks after he was admitted in hospital for treatment for a respiratory condition. The much-loved icon spent the day surrounded by his family in hospital and also received a visit from President Jacob Zuma and other prominent politicians.
Mandela's granddaughter Ndileka described him as "steady and improving."
His condition had in the last two weeks said to have been "precarious".
Mandela's birthday, which was in 2010 declared by the United Nations as the International Mandela Day, is dedicated to good courses.
People are urged to spent 67 minutes of their time doing charity work. The number symbolises the years Mandela spent in politics.
Mandela was rushed to hospital on June 8 with a recurring lung infection that had already put him in hospital three times in less than a year.
Wednesday, 17 July 2013
Obama pays tribute as ailing Mandela turns 95
JOHANNESBURG (AFP) - US President Barack Obama paid warm tribute to South Africa's Nelson Mandela for his 95th birthday on Thursday, which the anti-apartheid icon will spend in hospital recovering from a lung infection.
Obama's message came as Mandela's youngest daughter Zindzi said her father was making "remarkable" progress, and as admirers around the world prepared to honour the former South African president's legacy with a wave of charitable acts.
[caption id="attachment_379050" align="alignnone" width="412"]
*Obama[/caption]
Obama, who visited South Africa last month but was unable to see Mandela because of his illness, was fulsome in his praise of the former statesman, referring to him by his clan name, Madiba.
"Our family was deeply moved by our visit to Madiba's former cell on Robben Island during our recent trip to South Africa, and we will forever draw strength and inspiration from his extraordinary example of moral courage, kindness, and humility," Obama said in a statement.
The president called on people to honour the elderly leader by taking part in Nelson Mandela Day on Thursday, when admirers around the world will uphold his legacy with charitable acts.
Biker gangs will clean the streets, volunteers will paint schools and politicians will spend 67 minutes on worthy projects -- all to mark Mandela's 67 years of public service.
"Let us return Madiba's sacrifices and contributions through our own efforts to build a better society," said South African President Jacob Zuma.
Near Pretoria, Zuma himself will try to channel Mandela's cross-community appeal by delivering government housing to poor whites.
Children in schools around the country will kick off the day by singing "Happy Birthday" to the former prisoner, who also marks 15th anniversary of his marriage to third wife Graca Machel.
The government will also host a ceremony for the symbolic handing over of Mandela's new high-tech ID card, which will be received by Zindzi.
The event is laden with symbolism in a country where apartheid was enforced by pass books, which black citizens were forced to carry and which limited movement to certain areas at certain times.
The United Nations declared the Nobel Peace laureate's birthday Mandela Day in 2010, but for many this year it takes on extra poignancy.
Mandela has spent the last 41 days in a Pretoria hospital in critical but stable condition after being admitted for a recurring lung infection.
Family and friends have said he is now responding to treatment and breathing with the aid of a machine.
Zindzi said her father was making "remarkable" progress in hospital.
"He responds very well... with his eyes, and he nods and sometimes he lifts his hand like to shake your hand," she told Britain's Sky News on Wednesday.
Mandela's successor as president, Thabo Mbeki, has even suggested he might be discharged from hospital soon.
"There was a time that we were all extremely anxious and worried, and we were prepared for the worst," said Zindzi. "But he continues to amaze us every day."
-- 'Make the world a better place' --
Global luminaries, pop stars and ordinary people around the world have joined South Africans in pledging support for Mandela on his birthday.
"I will also be giving my 67 minutes to make the world a better place, one small step at a time," British business magnate Richard Branson vowed in a recorded message.
In Manila, capital of the Philippines, 50 abandoned street children will get a television studio tour and see performances by local artists.
On Saturday, the Australian city of Melbourne will hold a concert featuring local and African artists, while a music festival later this year in Norway will promote equality in schools.
Born on July 18, 1918, Mandela fought against white rule in South Africa as a young lawyer and was convicted of treason in 1964.
He spent the next 27 years in jail.
It was in part through his willingness to forgive his white jailers that Mandela made his indelible mark on history.
After negotiating an end to apartheid, he became South Africa's first black president, drawing a line under centuries of colonial and racist suppression.
He then led reconciliation in the deeply divided country.
Mandela's peace-making spirit has won him worldwide respect.
"Never before in history was one human being so universally acknowledged in his lifetime as the embodiment of magnanimity and reconciliation as Nelson Mandela," said Archbishop Desmond Tutu, himself a Nobel Peace laureate.
But the sunset of Mandela's life has been somewhat eclipsed by bitter infighting among his relatives.
A row over his final resting place has seen three of his children's graves dug up and their remains moved amid public brawling and legal action among his children and grandchildren.
Obama's message came as Mandela's youngest daughter Zindzi said her father was making "remarkable" progress, and as admirers around the world prepared to honour the former South African president's legacy with a wave of charitable acts.
[caption id="attachment_379050" align="alignnone" width="412"]
*Obama[/caption]Obama, who visited South Africa last month but was unable to see Mandela because of his illness, was fulsome in his praise of the former statesman, referring to him by his clan name, Madiba.
"Our family was deeply moved by our visit to Madiba's former cell on Robben Island during our recent trip to South Africa, and we will forever draw strength and inspiration from his extraordinary example of moral courage, kindness, and humility," Obama said in a statement.
The president called on people to honour the elderly leader by taking part in Nelson Mandela Day on Thursday, when admirers around the world will uphold his legacy with charitable acts.
Biker gangs will clean the streets, volunteers will paint schools and politicians will spend 67 minutes on worthy projects -- all to mark Mandela's 67 years of public service.
"Let us return Madiba's sacrifices and contributions through our own efforts to build a better society," said South African President Jacob Zuma.
Near Pretoria, Zuma himself will try to channel Mandela's cross-community appeal by delivering government housing to poor whites.
Children in schools around the country will kick off the day by singing "Happy Birthday" to the former prisoner, who also marks 15th anniversary of his marriage to third wife Graca Machel.
The government will also host a ceremony for the symbolic handing over of Mandela's new high-tech ID card, which will be received by Zindzi.
The event is laden with symbolism in a country where apartheid was enforced by pass books, which black citizens were forced to carry and which limited movement to certain areas at certain times.
The United Nations declared the Nobel Peace laureate's birthday Mandela Day in 2010, but for many this year it takes on extra poignancy.
Mandela has spent the last 41 days in a Pretoria hospital in critical but stable condition after being admitted for a recurring lung infection.
Family and friends have said he is now responding to treatment and breathing with the aid of a machine.
Zindzi said her father was making "remarkable" progress in hospital.
"He responds very well... with his eyes, and he nods and sometimes he lifts his hand like to shake your hand," she told Britain's Sky News on Wednesday.
Mandela's successor as president, Thabo Mbeki, has even suggested he might be discharged from hospital soon.
"There was a time that we were all extremely anxious and worried, and we were prepared for the worst," said Zindzi. "But he continues to amaze us every day."
-- 'Make the world a better place' --
Global luminaries, pop stars and ordinary people around the world have joined South Africans in pledging support for Mandela on his birthday.
"I will also be giving my 67 minutes to make the world a better place, one small step at a time," British business magnate Richard Branson vowed in a recorded message.
In Manila, capital of the Philippines, 50 abandoned street children will get a television studio tour and see performances by local artists.
On Saturday, the Australian city of Melbourne will hold a concert featuring local and African artists, while a music festival later this year in Norway will promote equality in schools.
Born on July 18, 1918, Mandela fought against white rule in South Africa as a young lawyer and was convicted of treason in 1964.
He spent the next 27 years in jail.
It was in part through his willingness to forgive his white jailers that Mandela made his indelible mark on history.
After negotiating an end to apartheid, he became South Africa's first black president, drawing a line under centuries of colonial and racist suppression.
He then led reconciliation in the deeply divided country.
Mandela's peace-making spirit has won him worldwide respect.
"Never before in history was one human being so universally acknowledged in his lifetime as the embodiment of magnanimity and reconciliation as Nelson Mandela," said Archbishop Desmond Tutu, himself a Nobel Peace laureate.
But the sunset of Mandela's life has been somewhat eclipsed by bitter infighting among his relatives.
A row over his final resting place has seen three of his children's graves dug up and their remains moved amid public brawling and legal action among his children and grandchildren.
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