docLOVE presents a free screening of DORPIE

The Bioscope and the Documentary Filmmakers Association (DFA) are proud to host this month's free docLOVE screening; DORPIE

Genre: Documentary

Director: Julia Jaki

Duration: 1 hr 17 minutes

The screening will be followed by a special audience Q&A session with the director, Julia Jaki.

Synopsis:

In a moving tribute to a selfless Bredasdorp community worker, DORPIE, follows Lana O'Neill as she establishes a safe house in the small South African town. Bredasdorp, plagued by poverty and resulting social problems like addiction, has been shaken by multiple rapes and murders of women.

Lana’s safe house is the only one in the whole region. Following Lana as she goes about her daily business, we see how a legacy of inequality, poverty and violence wreak havoc on the lives of women. Lana’s activities range widely, from picking up intoxicated women under a bridge to negotiating funding with the deputy mayor. The local government is doing little to help Lana and we watch as the pressure inevitably increases for the fierce activist.

This sensitive character study, filmed over the course of five years, is a portrait of a woman making the most of her grassroots leadership qualities, but who is struggling against the tide. Dealing with indifference, performative activism by politicians and the vicious cycle of domestic abuse, Lana almost reaches her breaking-point.

The film had its world premier at IDFA in 2022. It has screened as part of the official selection competition at DOK.fest in Germany in 2023 and as part of the official selection at Encounters 2023, where it was awarded special mention in the Best International Documentary category.

Julia Jaki is a German-born freelance producer and director based in South Africa. After graduating with an MA in political and Middle Eastern sciences she worked as an editor at production houses in Hamburg and Munich. In 2012 she relocated to Cape Town where she has produced TV-reports and documentaries for broadcasters such as Deutsche Welle, ZDF and N24, among others. She has a special interest in environmental and social issues. DORPIE is her first independent feature documentary.

About docLOVE: The Documentary Filmmakers Association's docLOVE programme hosts free screenings on a monthly basis at several venues around the country. docLOVE seeks to celebrate great documentary films, promoting the power of this format to bring thought-provoking, relevant and important content to the fore. docLOVE creates an interactive space for engagement by facilitating discussions on issues raised in the films.