30%: Women & Politics in Sierra Leone ( Documentary Short Films) Freetown, Sierra Leone. Photo by Em Cooper. The story of the ten year battle to achieve fair representation for women in the governance of Sierra Leone is revealed to us with passion by these three women from diverse backgrounds. Bernadette Lahai, Salamatu Kamara and Barbara Bangura share their stories of the ‘road blocks’ women face within the world of politics in Sierra Leone. Em Cooper’s exquisite oil painted animation combined with live action video transforms issues of gender and politics into compelling and thought provoking viewing. The film is realized by artist and filmmaker Anna Cady in collaboration with director of animation, Em Cooper; with interviews by award winning BBC radio journalist, Jenny Cuffe. 30% is based on the work of Pathways researcher Dr. Hussaina J. Abdullah, a Sierra Leonean sociologist, who has done extensive work on women’s human rights and post-conflict reconstruction processes. Em Cooper, Animator…. ‘I am interested in experimenting with film subjective perspectives….Combining paint with film allows me to express inner realities and experiences which cannot be filmed’…..
This short film moves effortlessly between oil painted animation and live action. Three extraordinary women tell stories of kidnap, corruption and secret societies as they fight to improve the position of women in politics in Sierra Leone. " 30%: WOMEN & POLITICS IN SIERRA LEONE " a film by Anna Cady and Em Cooper 2013 Sundance Film Festival, Official Selection
30%: WOMEN & POLITICS IN SIERRA LEONE (DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILMS): FILM CLIPS (VO): " Clip #1" -
30%: Women & Politics in Sierra Leone ( Documentary Short Films) Burning Car. Photo by Em Cooper. The Real World Program: 30% is the fourth film to be made under the Real World Short Film Program. The program was set up by the International research and communication consortium ‘Pathways of Women’s Empowerment’ and the UK Film Council’s Regional Agency, Screen South. Real World links talented documentary filmmakers with researchers and their stories from the Pathways consortium to collaborate on a series of short documentaries, driven by the social change agenda of Pathways, and broadly exploring concepts around women’s empowerment. The aim of the scheme is to influence the next generation of documentary filmmakers, give them access to new, local research and engage them in helping to deepen our understandings of social contexts. Andrea Cornwall, Pathways Director writes: ‘The media plays a huge role in how people think about international development and about issues of rights, power and justice. Tapping into the power of the media enables us to communicate with audiences that our research might never reach - in ways that are much more exciting and engaging than those we would normally use.’ The Filmmakers: Anna Cady (Director / Editor / Producer) is an artist who uses film, photography and text in her work. 30% is her first commissioned film. Previous art films include FARMS OF INNOCENCE, which screened at The Tate Modern, Hull International Film Festival and Brighton’s Cinecity Film Festival as well as many International screenings. Anna’s recent short film, OUT OF SPACE made with Louisa Makolski, screened at London International Film Festival and other festivals and galleries world wide including Sydney Gallery of Modern Art. As an artist Anna has created installations for numerous galleries around the world. Em Cooper (Animator / Writer / Cinematographer) is a British Director and Animator specializing in combining oilpainted animation with live-action film. Em's recent film, Emergence, an experimental animation collaboration with a composer, was performed live at the UK's Turner Contemporary for their first anniversary celebrations. Her other short films have been screened worldwide at film festivals including Confusion of Tongues which was shortlisted for the 2012 British Animation Awards and The Nest which played at numerous International Film Festivals including Los Angeles, Leeds and Kiev. Em’s films have also been presented at various psychoanalytic conferences, including the International Ferenczi Conference in Budapest and the European Psychoanalytic Film Festival in London, and will be screened at the Freud Museum in London in 2013. Em graduated from the Royal College of Art in 2010. Prior to her MA, Em worked as an Editor and Associate Producer at Current TV, UK. She is currently working on a feature documentary Kiss the Water for the BBC Directed by Eric Steel.