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SISTERS IN LAW Kim Longonotto,
Florence Ayisi / UK / 2005 / 104 min
Awarded the Prix Art et Essai in Cannes, the latest film by
our 2003 laureate, Kim Longinotto, is surely one of her greatest
achievements. According to Stella Pence from the Telluride
Film Festival, it is one of the best documentaries of all
time. Co-directed by Florence Ayisi and maintained entirely
in the cin?ma v?rit? tradition, the film depicts prosecutor
Vera Ngassa and judge Beatrice Ntuba, who work in a provincial
court in Cameroon. Cases of rape of an underage girl, child
abuse and divorce at the fault of the husband all take place
before the viewers' eyes. Justice prevails and Longinotto's
emotional and sometimes unexpectedly funny film breaks the
stereotype about the passivity of women in African societies,
the powerlessness of the judicial system with respect to oppressive
traditions and the only possible cultural change being that
imposed from above.
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