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Law & Film

 

Part of CALS' mission as a human rights organisation is to make the law more accessible to people experiencing rights violations. One of the ways that we are able to complement traditional legal work is through the medium of film. At its core, law is about story telling. We take compelling stories from our clients and develop affidavits which we submit to courts. Film can take the law out of the court room and help to distribute information as widely as possible to those affected by human rights violations. For this reason, CALS has been pioneering the integration of law and film since 2012. Below are some examples of the films we have produced.

 

Marikana: The lived reality

This short documentary was produced in partnership with the New Media Advocacy Project and the International Human Rights Clinic at Harvard Law School. The film shows the living conditions in Marikana and details the experiences of the women in the community. Its purpose was to give parties at the Marikana Commission of Inquiry an idea of these experiences and to give a voice to the women who were not otherwise represented at the Commission.

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Breaking the steel wall

In partnership with the South African Human Rights Commission and One Way Up Productions, we commissioned our first documentary film Breaking the Steel Wall. The documentary was developed as an advocacy tool to give a practical example of how communities in South Africa can use the Promotion of Access to Information Act (or ‘PAIA’) to access information that will help them to realise another right.

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Breaking the steel wall - Zulu version

Breaking the Steel Wall has also subsequently been translated into isiZulu. The film tracks the journey of communities trying to access information from ArcelorMittal South Africa. The Steel Valley and Louisrus communities explain how pollution from a steel mill in the area has negatively affected the health of the community members and their animals. It follows their efforts to access documents from the steel giant, and gives a practical guide to using the Promotion of Access to Information Act

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Mining Community Exchange

This animated film was produced in partnership with Greenhouse Cartoons. The film was developed as a tool to introduce learning exchanges between communities affected by mining and those soon to be affected by mining.

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Evictions in the Jo'burg inner city: Sizwe's Story

Evictions in the Jo'burg inner city is a multilingual educational animation produced in partnership with Greenhouse Cartoons. The film was developed to complement the housing education workshops in the Basic Services Programme.

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Internship Programme

This short film was shot by CALS law and film intern Sharon Chimhanda and produced in partnership with One Way Up Productions. It features our current interns and explains the purpose of the CALS Internship Programme.

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