Dara Kell, a 29 year-old filmmaker from South Africa, received a $5,000 award for her project “Dear Mandela”

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Almost one million people live in the slums of Durban, South Africa. The city has promised to ‘eradicate the slums’ by 2010 in time for the Soccer World Cup and is evicting shack dwellers from their homes, often at gunpoint. “Dear Mandela” is a feature documentary that takes viewers from the chaos on the streets to the highest court in the land as we follow three young shack dwellers who decide to resist the evictions. Zama, Mnikelo and Mazwi, along with other shack dwellers, come together as the Shack Dwellers’ Movement, a powerful new force that is putting Nelson Mandela’s promise of a ‘better life for all’ to the test.<

“Dear Mandela” is a fascinating glimpse into the dark underbelly of post-apartheid South Africa as its leaders face daily, often violent protests in shack settlements across the country. It is a cautionary tale as cities around the world embark on similar slum clearance programs, and serves as an urgent reminder of the basic right of all human beings to a decent life.