Sense-(re)-memory

Production by Raphaela Linders

Sense-(re)-memory deals with the reliving of memories triggered by the conventional five senses sight, sound,hearing, touch and taste.
The film follows Mardou as she experiences the strength of her senses and the memories that they trigger. She has to a certain degree lost control of her senses, everything she sees, tastes, touches, smells and hears brings up a memory that she does not necessarily want to remember. Mardou has even gone to the extreme of stripping all the objects around her of any visual stimuli. Her sensory memories are told through the eyes and words of four other people.

The Big Mesh

Production by Katja Schreiber

While KwaZulu-Natal’s gill nets protect bathers from shark attack, the same nets threaten the province’s sensitive marine life.
The nets work as fishing devices, but rather than merely killing sharks — of which the vast majority are harmless to humans — they trap a wide variety of other marine animals as well. Dolphins, rays, whales, and even critically endangered turtles are all suffering. With bathers facing a 1% risk of shark attack, can the use of shark nets be justified at the expense of our rich marine ecosystem?

Meat

Report by Rosanna Scott

Meat from Rosanna Scott on Vimeo.

We like meat. And because of high-intensity farming, we get a lot of it. We often don’t realise how much animal cruelty is involved in one hamburger. Instead, as Peter Singer explains to us, the connection between cow and beef has been lost. All the while climate change looms.
Rosanna Scott’s portfolio is found here

The Quest for Beauty

Report by Aimee Caulfield

This 5-minute documentary looks at two individuals, Vuyani Mpako and Robyn Pienaar, both willing to put themselves at risk for the sake of beauty. Mpako has used skin lightening creams for the past 6 years and Pienaar has used the sunbed regularly for the past 5 years. They are both aware of the clinical dangers but for Mpako becoming lighter is worth the risk. For Piernaar, life is that much easier when you are tanned. Leading dermatologist Dr Derek Odendaal and salon owner Pete Delport comment on this beauty craze.
See Aimee Caulfield’s portfolio here

Catching Ghosts – Diane Victor

Report by Thomas Mills

Renowned South African artist, Diane Victor, introduces us to two of her most prominent mediums, her smoke drawings and her print pieces. Through these, she aims to showcase contemporary issues faced by South Africa and its people by voicing her own about the country’s woes. Catching Ghosts demonstrates how Victor creates her fascinating smoke drawings as well as her large-scale etchings.
Thomas Mills’ Portfolio is found here

The True Nature of Young Children

Report by Kelley Wake

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder has become one of the most commonly diagnosed mental disorders in children today. We investigate the controversial issues surrounding the medication and the diagnosis of ADHD in young children as well and the effects on schooling. Interviews with educational psychologists, doctors, school matrons and a student who was diagnosed when he was nine years old, outline their experiences, opinions and knowledge of the disorder.
Kelley Wakes’s portfolio is found here