Films For Secondary School Students

 

1. Crossroads of People, Crossroads of Trade 

Documentary film, history – Ghana, 1994, directed by Kwaw Ansah, English with Czech subtitles, 40 min

This documentary film presents Ghanaian people and their traditions starting from the times preceding their first encounter with Europeans through the Slave trade and Bristish colonialism. 

Tento dokument přiblíží obyvatele Ghany, jejich rituály a tradice od doby před prvními kontakty s Evropany, přes obchod s otroky a britskou kolonizaci, jejich boj za nezávislost a odkrývá způsob, jakým ovlivnili kulturu v jiných částech světa.

2. Taking Roots: The Vision of Wangari Maathai

USA, 2008, Directed by Lisa Meton & Alan Dater, 58 min, English / Czech Subtitles

The story of Wangari Maathai, the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, has many dimensions. The initial intention of combating soil erosion by planting trees evolved into a political movement fighting not only environmental degradation but also poverty and political oppression of the authoritarian regime of the Kenyan president Daniel Arap Moi. The film documents the life path of Wangari Maathai who through adversity of both the natural and political environment in the country proved to change the direction of development of Kenyan society. The key to her success was an idea of planting trees and an indomitable spirit.

3. Delta Force

UK, Directed by Glenn Ellis, 1995, 52 min., English /Czech subtitles

Delta Force follows the documentary film The Drilling Fields describing the struggle of the Ogoni people led by writer Ken Saro-Wiwa to save their homeland devastated by Shell corporation. It underscores the close relationship between Shell and Nigerian military dictatorship, bears witness to the military attack on Ogoni communities and documents natural devastation. Neither strong international engagement is not successful and illegally detained leader Ken Sano-Wiwa is finally executed despite massive protests. Much of the Delta Force footage was secretly shot by Ogoni themselves.

4. The Man Who Stopped The Desert 

UK 2010, Directed by Mark Dodd, 62 min., English, French / Czech subtitles

Yacouba Sawadogo, a farmer from Burkina Faso, is known as the man who stopped the desert“. However, when he first tried to save his parched lands from desertification by planting trees, which have since spread into a 15-hectare forest, people from his village thought he was mad. Thirty years later people from Gourga in north-western Burkina Faso, who had left the dead areas and went to find a better life in towns, are coming back and Sawadogo travels around the world to narrate the story of his success. Farmers, environmental experts and scientists crowd in his house They're trying to find out as much as possible about a man who stopped the desert all by himself.

5. The Harder They Come 

Action / Crime / Drama / Music - Jamaica, 1972, Directed by Perry Henzell, Featuring Jimmy Cliff – English, 103 min

Reggae legend Jimmy Cliff stars as Ivanhoe "Ivan" Martin, an aspiring young singer who leaves his rural village for the city of Kingston, hoping to make a name for himself. Robbed of his money and possessions his first day in town, he finds work with a self-righteous, bullying preacher, and an unscrupulous music mogul who exploits young hopefuls. In desperation, the simple country boy turns outlaw, at war with both the police and his rivals in the ganja trade. Ivan's dream of stardom soon becomes reality as he rises to the top of the pop charts and the most-wanted lists. This gritty, groundbreaking film brought reggae music to the international stage, made Jimmy Cliff a star, and demonstrated that music and art can change the world. (Publisher)