Mugabe and the White African
90' (United Kingdom, Zimbabwe)
Directors:  Lucy Bailey, Andrew Thompson
Producers: David Pearson, Elizabeth Morgan Hemlock

Description:

Michael Campbellis one of the few hundred white farmers left in Zimbabwe since President Robert Mugabe began his violent land seizure program in 2000. Since then the country has descended into chaos, the economy brought to its knees by the reallocation of formerly white-owned farms to ZANU-PF friends and officials with no knowledge, experience or interest in farming. Mike, like hundreds of white farmers before him, has suffered years of multiple land invasions and violence. In 2008, Mike, seventy-five years old and a grandfather—unable to call upon the protection of any Zimbabwean authorities and unable to even rely on the support of his fellow white farmers, all facing the same brutal intimidation—took the unprecedented step of challenging Robert Mugabe before the South African Development Community international court, charging him and his government with racial discrimination and of violations of human rights. 


Biography:

Lucy Bailey has over ten years experience as a director in television, with the majority of shooting on the African continent, often covering sensitive subjects. Lucy has a background in anthropology and a huge passion for Africa. She specializes in bringing emotion to the forefront in her films, including Lorenzo’s Oil—Miracle Or Myth and Saving Planet Earth—Saving Turtles (both BBC). Lucy has recently been working for Comic Relief to make their appeal films for Red Nose Day and Sport Relief campaigns. 

Andrew Thompson has over twelve years experience filming all over the world for C4, BBC, National Geographic and Discovery. While most of his time is spent as a director of photography, he increasingly has focused on directing. He has extensive film making experience in hostile environments and has worked in many parts of Africa. Previous credits include Sex Traffic; Inside The Kingdom; Brain Keenan in Lebanon; Ross Kemp in Afghanistan; and Geldolf on Africa.


Contact Information:

Arturi Films
Unit 24c, Fern House
Daniels Industrial Estate, Bath Road
Stroud Gloucestershire GL5 3TL, UK
E-mail: matwa@arturifilms.com
Web site: www.mugabeandthewhiteafrican.com