Nelson Mandela was born 100 years ago. The man many South Africans call the father of their country was imprisoned for 27 years by the apartheid regime. Later he was sworn in as the first freely elected president of a democratic South Africa. His friend Desmond Tutu once called Mandela "God's gift to our nation". The world remembers this remarkable man as a symbol of humanity and reconciliation. The 'grand old man' of Africa, born on 18 July 1918, remains a legendary figure with extraordinary charisma. The "Mandela phenomenon" has been the subject of books and films, and it continues to exert a huge fascination. It was no coincidence that Nelson Mandela's father gave him the name Rolihlahla, the troublemaker. It was women who first began to tame the wild young man. Then there was the 27-year prison sentence that, as Nobel Peace laureate Desmond Tutu said, "did not embitter Nelson Mandela in the fight for freedom, but ennobled him." But the price of liberation from the ruthless apartheid state was high: isolation, torture, betrayal. The regime tried to break Mandela by targeting his most precious asset, his wife Winnie and their two daughters. Later, Mandela raised fabulous sums of money as a Nobel Peace Prize winner, a former president and the face of numerous charities. Scandals overshadowed the hero's reputation; he was embroiled in allegations of embezzlement, counterfeiting and fraud amounting to millions. But in spite of all the many unanswered questions, Mandela, who died on 5 December 2013, is still revered by his compatriots. "Nelson Mandela - A Life for Liberty" was made with the help of the former leader's friends. The result is a highly personal portrait that shows how triumphs and tragedies shaped the life of this historic figure and how much the diverse and divided country of South Africa owes to the 'Father of the Nation'.
Since 2015 Yemen has been in the grip of a bloody conflict as Saudi Arabia leads a coalition against Houthi insurgents in the country. Millions of people have been displaced and are facing starvation. Few images are emerging from the war-torn land. Yemeni filmmaker Khadija Al-Salami entrusted her camera to 3 children. In this documentary, the kids tell about the horrors of war in their own words. Ahmed is 11 years old, Rima is eight and Youssef is nine. They live in Yemen, a country that is experiencing one of today's most brutal wars and a humanitarian catastrophe. And yet most of the world community seems to be unaware of it. With a camera loaned to them by the Yemeni filmmaker Khadija Al-Salami, the three children film their everyday lives under the daily Saudi airstrikes. They record the testimonies of wounded children in hospitals and children who have lost their parents in the bombardments. Full of childish innocence, they also interview adults: a painter, a rapper and a model who was elected 'Miss War' on social media, and ask them to send a message to the only institution they believe can stop the war - the European Union. The film shows no images of violence, which makes the narrative seen through the eyes of the three kids all the more powerful. It is a story of incredible and unswerving hope: the hope that the EU will manage to put an end to the conflict.
The Place Stanislas in the French city of Nancy is one of the most beautiful urban spaces in Europe. Built in the middle of the 18th century, the architectural ensemble includes the Place de la Carrière and the Place de l' Hémicycle, masterpieces of the baroque.
Since 2015 Yemen has been in the grip of a bloody conflict as Saudi Arabia leads a coalition against Houthi insurgents in the country. Millions of people have been displaced and are facing starvation. Few images are emerging from the war-torn land. Yemeni filmmaker Khadija Al-Salami entrusted her camera to 3 children. In this documentary, the kids tell about the horrors of war in their own words. Ahmed is 11 years old, Rima is eight and Youssef is nine. They live in Yemen, a country that is experiencing one of today's most brutal wars and a humanitarian catastrophe. And yet most of the world community seems to be unaware of it. With a camera loaned to them by the Yemeni filmmaker Khadija Al-Salami, the three children film their everyday lives under the daily Saudi airstrikes. They record the testimonies of wounded children in hospitals and children who have lost their parents in the bombardments. Full of childish innocence, they also interview adults: a painter, a rapper and a model who was elected 'Miss War' on social media, and ask them to send a message to the only institution they believe can stop the war - the European Union. The film shows no images of violence, which makes the narrative seen through the eyes of the three kids all the more powerful. It is a story of incredible and unswerving hope: the hope that the EU will manage to put an end to the conflict.