American Documentary Film Festival/ 2
Opening night in Palm Springs: Julie Cohen’s ”I Live to Sing”, or in xhosa language: Ndiphilela Ukucula. A warm film with three black, young upcoming opera stars from South Africa, who tell their stories, which are sad and uplifting at the same time. They came out of the poverty of the townships, their parents experienced the apartheid regime, they got into the Cape Town University opera section, were taught by Kamal Khan, a charismatic and dedicated teacher for them and they have now started what seem to become very succesful careers for all three of them. The film director deserves much credit for having found a tone in the film, where you laugh and enjoy the three wonderful main characters and their background. And see them develop their skills and personalities. Hilarious are the scenes with the bass baryton Thesele and his parents, who the filmmakers take to watch him and the others perform in Tales of Hoffmann – and to the first flight tour ever for them. Linda, the soprano, who do not have her parents any longer – you see her train with Khan in extraordinary, touching scenes, and you see and hear the tenor Makudupanyane, a charming boy, who will make it as a singer and maybe also as a composer.
At least that was what he told us in the audience after the screening, where the three of them with Khan came to the stage for a Q&A after each of them had performed for a full hall in Camelot Theatres. The audience, we, enjoyed this grand night full of applause from start till end. A feel-good film in the best sense of the word, well put into a historical frame: Robben Island, Mandela, Verwoerd (OMG, what a quote from this man!), and the three of them actually not interested in politics. From the stage, with a smile. Thesele said that having seen the film again, he realised that he has to follow his father’s political engagement…
I am here as a guest to take part in the festival as a juror and panelist in an atmosphere of superb hospitality in the desert where Palm Springs is situated and where the sun seems to shine all the time!
