Facts

Original Title:
Ochre and Water - Himba chronicles from the land of Kaoko

Duration:
53 minutes

Genre:
Social documentary

Locations:
Namibia

Production Company:
Doxa Productions

Producers:
Doxa Productions and Off the fence

Directors:
Craig Matthew and Joelle Chesselet

Photography:
Craig Matthew

Script:
Joelle Chesselet and Jeremy Evans

Music:
Kalahari Surfers and sound design by Ronelle Loots

David and Goliath - a theme, which, in the face of globalisation, takes on new meaning.

This time, Goliath is confronted by the Himba people of North Western Namibia's cultural identity: threatened by a hydro-electric dam development that would destroy the very basis of their unique and thriving pastoral nomadic culture, the Himba could lose their pasture along the banks of the Cunene River and hundreds of ancestral graves - crucial to their way of life. Surprisingly, their oral tradition of discussion helps their fight for survival.

Doxa Productions had the privilege to document this development saga over seven years. Intimate contact with and acceptance by the Himba people gave director/cameraman Craig Matthew the opportunity to reveal the complex web of relationships that define the Himba herders' culture within a global context, in a lyrical yet simple way.

The editing and sound design by Ronelle Loots, and the soundtrack by the Kalahari Surfers, combining Himba elements and studio treatment, contribute to the film's compelling impact.

"Full of artistry, humanity and scientific accuracy, Ochre and Water is a lucid meditation on those thorny issues of development, post-colonialism and culture. It is the kind of film that can - and should - be watched over and over. Anywhere. "
Neil Sonnekus , Film Critic, Mail and Guardian

• Selected to be shown at the Smithsonian Institute, Washington
• Honoured by the National Geographic Society and Recipient of the Earthwatch Institute 2001 Award. (U.S.A)
• Winner of the Best environmental Film at the Japanese Wildlife Film Festival in August 2001
• Selected for the Mill Valley Film Festival in October 2001.
• Recipient of the Apollo Award in October 2001 for best documentary, at the Apollo Film Festival, South Africa.
• Recipient of the NTVA Stone awards for best Documentary, directing, camerawork, sound design and final mix, soundtrack and production.
• Selected for Bilan du Film Ethnographique, Paris;
• Input 2002 - Rotterdam -Selected for "best of input " Rotterdam "
• Nominated at Banff Television Festival for best social documentary.
• Jury prize at Banff Television Festival 2002
• Runner up in critics prize at Banff Television Festival 2002 Canada
• BEST OF Telluride MOUNTAINFILM 2002: OCHRE AND WATER- "A brilliant revelation and evocation of a culture at risk. An outstanding example of a filmmaker's dedication to his subject and skill at letting the tribe tell its own story. For now, the tribe has won; we can only hope that they will prevail in the future."
• Selected to be shown at the Earth Summit Film Festival in Johannesburg, 2002
• Selected to be shown at the G8 conference Afrikabeat film festival in Calgary, Canada
• Selected to be shown at the International Conference against racism in Durban, 2002
• Selected to be shown at the Human Rights Festival at the University of Cape Town, 2002
• Selected for the Black Harvest Film Festival, Chicago, 2002
• Selected for the Prix Leonardo in Parma, 2003
• Selected by the Youth Millennium Project funded by UNICEF to be distributed in Canada and South Africa for discussions on globalization and culture.
• Selected by Reel to Real youth project, Canada- used for teaching at academic institutions around the world
• Best film on sustainable futures and best film on globalisation at PRIX LEONARDO, Parma, April 2003
• Selected for The Open Frame International Festival and Forum on Public Broadcasting and Cultural Diversity, New Delhi, India August 2003 (UNESCO)