Camilla Nielsson: President
This text is written by Svetlana and Zoran Popovic, festival directors of Magnificent7:
A brilliant film awarded at the Sundance Film Festival as the best cinéma vérité film, made in a style that directly places it alongside the legendary “Primary”, an achievement that changed the history of film and the world.
Camilla Nielsson is an extraordinary author, not only for her exceptional talent, for her documentary education at the very sources of the revolutionary American direct cinema movement, for her style of a true filmmaker, for her ability to touch the very essence in multitude of events and characters, but also for her exceptional courage, sacrifice and dedication. She had to became part of a persecuted group while making her previous film “Democrats” in drastically controlled conditions of censorship and pressure she almost had to flee because of frightening threats. Finally, the film was banned. The country of events was Zimbabwe. However, when a new phase of the fight against dictatorship was announced, that irresistible documentary challenge brought the Danish author back to African soil, to the very center of the incredibly exciting, dramatic and dangerous adventure of democracy – the presidential election. Camilla Nielsson introduces us directly to all events, follows all important phases, follows how hope is created and grows as a wonderful energy that overwhelms the participants. It follows dramatic skirmishes in which the film crew also participates in a manner of war reporters. Camilla Nielsson and her crew participates in the dark moments of crisis. And most of all in finding strength.
A film that is watched breathlessly as a great story about the cruel collision of a drastic dictatorship and the supreme ideals of democracy.
Denmark, USA, Norway, Zimbabwe 2021, 115 minutes
… And you also get the link to the review in filmkommentaren:
