Slater blazing a trail for South Africa

Encounters will present the African Trailblazer for the third year at MIPDOC, the international showcase for documentary screenings, held annually in Cannes, France, 5 – 6 April 2008.

Slater, along with four other Trailblazers, has been invited to attend MIPDOC, where all delegates will have the opportunity to gain insight into the factors that have made them a success and to harness the range of networking opportunities available to them.

“Complete surprise”

“It was a complete surprise. I was in India, hands full with camera gear and battling to unlock a little reed hut, when I got this call on my cellphone. Even though my message on my phone said ‘Send an email or SMS, I am out the country', this person just kept phoning. So eventually I answered it, saying, ‘Listen, I am out the country. Can you speak quickly?' It was Mandisa [Zitha, festival director] with news that I had been selected as a Trailblazer to go to Cannes. Oh my god I had to sit down. It feels like a great honour. Many thanks to the nominators and all the dedicated editors, crews and family that helped me get to this point,” said an excited Slater about being selected as the African Trailblazer

Slater's films have not only been screened at the Encounters Documentary Festival but also at other major festivals such as Sundance, Berlin, Hot Docs and Africano Film Festival in Milan, to name but a few. Her interest in the environment is evident in her films Prenessa and the Dolphins (2006) and Onse Water (Our Dear Water) (2006).

“She maintains integrity and honesty in the process of making her films. Significantly, her films are often poetic, something we believe should be encouraged in Africa and the rest of the world,” said the Encounters team about why they nominated Slater.

Lyrical, exquisitely framed portraits

They also said that in the past decade, Slater has turned to observing humans and, with all the patience required for “wild” life, she has fashioned lyrical, exquisitely framed portraits of extraordinary ordinary people in their natural habitats, as exemplified in the humane Meaning of the Buffalo (2004) and From Nkoko… with Love (2005).

Reed MIDEM, a leading organiser of professional, international trade shows, initiated the Trailblazers to highlight pioneering work in the documentary field, promoting regional talents and trends and recognising the very best in creativity and innovation.

The remaining four Trailblazers come from Greece, South Korea, Japan and Canada. Other funding partners are the Sundance Channel, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and the Korean Broadcasting Institute (KBI).

Last year, Encounters selected Vincent Moloi (South Africa), along with Jean-Marie Teno (Cameroon-born), as the African Trailblazers for 2007. Khalo Matabane was the first Trailblazer from Africa in 2006.

• Encounters, a partner of Reed MIDEM, is hosting the 10th Encounters South African International Documentary Festival which will showcase films from around the world with a special focus on South African work. Encounters will be held in Johannesburg, 19 – 29 June, and in Cape Town, 3 – 13 July.