On DVD
 

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COUNTRY

84 min, Documentary, Quebec, Canada, 2007
Directed byCatherine Hébert
Produced byBrigitte Dion, Catherine Hébert (Mango Films)
LanguagesAcholi, Langi, English
Short description

A visually exquisite, meditative immersion into a Uganda ravaged by 20 years of war.
Film subjects Africa , International Affairs
Regis du cinemas, general

Buy the DVD

Press reviews

The DP's work here is exceptional - respectful of the people being filmed, with instincts that are sure and perfectly suited to the low-key approach adpted by Catherine Hébert, who has chosen to film from the perspective of the women and children whose lives have been completely uprooted by the civil ward. Qui fait quoi, Canada In the high quality of the camera work and her relationships with the people, Catherine Hébert has brought off the challenge she tolde us she had set herselft: to make a film that was both political and poetic. Télérama A film as remarkable for its content as its form, turning the sportlight on a people's suffering and revealing the astonishing level of government inaction. La Côte, Suisse

Film details

Synopsis

The population in the battleground in “one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world” where war continues between rebels and the Ugandan government. As rebels abduct and force children and adults into the ranks, thousands flood into towns searching for security. In response, the governement forces 1.7 million people into camps in an attempt to cut off the rebel’s supplies and recruits. Instead of protection, the camps offer disease and death.

 

Politically crisp and salient, the film captures the realities of was in northern Uganda through the interconnected stories of five people, including : a mother turned activist after her daughter’s abduction; a young girl traveling miles daily looking for a safe place to sleep; a 7 year old boy who moved onto the streets to survive, and an increasingly outspoken and courageous man whose job takes him to the heart of the war.

 

The film powerfully elucidates what it means for people to live through a war carried out by rebels and played down and drawn out by a complicit governement. Shot entirely onsite and told exclusively through the images, voices and perspectives of Ugandans.

 

Credits

Direction : Catherine Hébert

Editing : Annie Jean

Photograhy : Sébastien Gros

Sound Recording and Mixing : Mélanie Gauthier

Vocal singing : Chœur du collège St. Mary d’Aboke, Ouganda

Additional Music : Martin Léon

Producion : Brigitte Dion et Catherine Hébert

Production Company : Mango Films

 

Financial Partners

  • Feinstein International Center, Tufts University
  • Société de développement des entreprises culturelles
  • PRIM
  • Fonds canadien du film et de la vidéo indépendants
  • Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec
  • Télé-Québec

 

 

Direction

Catherine Hébert

Catherine Hébert is a maker of political and social documentary films. She has often filmed in Sub-Saharan Africa, taking an interest in the effects of war and violence against women, as well as exploring the intricate fabric of everyday life. Her films, particularly The other side of the country (2008) and Notes on a road less taken (2011), have earned critical acclaim and selections to numerous festivals, where they have won several awards.

 

Filmography

Ziva Postec, The Editor Behind The Film Shoah, 92 min, 2018