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Ten Years of Freedom: Films from the new South Africa

Ten Years of Freedom: Films from the New South Africa, presented with the support of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, is a full scale, independent film
festival in New York. The weeklong events will be the largest celebration in the United States commemorating the 10th anniversary of the election of Nelson Mandela, which marked the death of apartheid and inaugurated the
last 10 years of South African freedom.

The festival will be based at the Clearview 62nd St. theater, and other venues, and will feature 40 films over six nights. The films will
include documentaries, features, shorts, and animation, highlighting the work from a new generation of South African filmmakers. Most of the films are U.S. and world premieres. A number of events are planned around the festival: a gala celebration and screening at the Schomburg Center in Harlem on April 26th; special screenings at the Hayden Planetarium; an AIDS benefit; an all-day symposium at NYU featuring panel discussions on South African issues; a free education program for local schools; a South
African photography exhibition, and more.

The festival opens to the public on April 27th, South African Freedom Day. Films featured in the festival: "A Lion's Trail," the story of the
most recorded song in history "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" which left its originator penniless after an American songwriter stole the rights,
Guguletu Seven," an account of the killing seven black men in apartheid South Africa and the ensuing investigation; "Karoo Kitaar Blues,"a delightful trip into the world of South African music in the tradition of "The Buena Vista Social Club"; "Cosmic Africa," about the first South African astronomer Thebe Medupe (the screening will be at the 900-seat Hayden Planetarium and both the filmmaker and astronomer will be present for a Q&A session); and "The Sky in her Eyes," a short film about a young girl coping with losing her mother to AIDS.

Tickets are $10, student tickets are $8. For more information on the films and show times, visit the Ten Years of Freedom website at www.tenyeaarsoffreedom.org.