Sisters in Law: Stories from a Cameroon Court

Abstract

My documentary film practice is situated within the broader context and conceptual framework of counter cinematic narratives and ideas about Africa, in particular, the representation of women. My agenda and thematic concerns in the process of using the documentary film as a mode of inquiry is to engage with and explore ‘other’ realities in Africa and how these manifest in visual representations; what kind of knowledge is borne out of these new ways of imagining different aspects of daily life in Africa from an African perspective? In my research and production of documentary films, I attempt to engage with ideas, issues and questions that construct and present alternative images, especially ideas and images of women.

Sisters in Law is a feature-length documentary film portraying aspects of women’s lives and work in the judicial system in Cameroon, West Africa. The film centres around four cases involving violence against women. It shows women seeking justice and effecting change on [universal] human interests issues. It also shows strong and positive images of women and children in Cameroon.

Sisters In Law has been screened in over 120 film festivals around the world, and also in Art House cinemas in Europe and USA. It has won many film awards including the prestigious PRIX ART ET ESSAI at the Cannes film festival in May 2005, Best Documentary Film at Hawaii International Film Festival, Audience Award at International Documentary Festival, Amsterdam (IDFA), Best Documentary on a Contemporary issue, Grierson Award, Social Justice Award for Documentary Film at Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Best International Documentary at Real Life on Film Festival, Melbourne and Best Single Documentary, Royal Television society.

It has been screened several times on both terrestrial and digital television in Britain (More4, Channel 4), and Canal+ in France.