Guests

Leymah Gbowee (Pray the Devil Back to Hell)

Leymah Gbowee was born in Monrovia (Liberia) in 1972. When she was 17 years old the civil war between Liberian dictator Charles Taylor and rebellious War Lords started. Confident that the Liberians themselves, and especially the women, would have to put an end to the war, Leymah founded the „Women in Peacebuilding Network“ together with other women and soon became its leader because of her visionary power and organisational skills. From the unification of Christian and Muslim women the „Liberian Mass Action for Peace“ evolved. With Leymah as their leader, the group forced a meeting with Taylor and made him promise to start peace negotiations with the War Lords. Finally the dictator, who is now prosecuted by the International Court of Justice in The Hague, gave in and promised he would attend the peace talks. So Leymah lead a delegation of Liberian women to Ghana to keep putting pressure on the parties of war. That included locking them into their conference room by a Sit-In “until peace is accomplished. They shall not be able to eat or drink and so only one day experience a bit of what our population has suffered from for many years!” so Leymah during the disturbing scenes of the dispute with the War Lords.

A peace agreement was signed and a provisional government was called into office. The women began to stand up for the fulfilment of the peace agreements, democratic elections and the first female president in Africa, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf - with success. Because of the war Leymah was not able to study at university, and so she began to work with traumatised child soldiers from Taylor’s army as a social worker. Leymah founded the „Women in Peace and Security Network Africa“ (WIPSEN-Africa), a pan-African women’s organisation with head quarters in Ghana. Since 2006 she is the president of this peace organisation.
Leymah was awarded by many different organisations for her outstanding commitment, among others by the University of Harvard and the White House Project. Leymah Gbowee is the main character of the documentary „Pray the Devil Back to Hell“ (2008).

Leymah's vision for the future: I know that after the presidency of Madam Sirleaf, that is when we're going to have the war between the men and the women. The men recognized within themselves that they had failed not just themselves, but they failed the women and the children of Liberia. So they said: let's give the women the chance to lead this country. And now that we have peace and quiet, most of the men want to step in. Sometimes they come to me and say: “Well, Ms. Gbowee, you did a good job. And six years from now, we're going to take it back, you know, because we've given you women all your chances.”

So one of the things that I would like to see is that our electoral law should be more affirmative for women and that, after Madam Sirleaf has left office, those policies and laws, that will give women equal rights, are written in Black and White.
And we also want – during the next three years of her presidency - get more women and young girls to see leadership not as a privileged thing for men, but as something that she is entitled to.
The participation of Leymah Gbowee is possible thanks to the support of the Initiative Africa of the German Ministry of the Exterior (due to a decision by the German National Parliament).

Hana Makhmalbaf (Green Days)

Hana Makhmalbaf was born in 1988 in Teheran in Iran as the youngest daughter of famous director Mohsen Makhmalbaf. At the age of seven she starred in „A Moment of Innocence“, a movie by her father. In the same year she left school to study with her older sister at „Makhmalbaf Film School“, founded by her father for family and acquaintances. As part of her training she worked as director’s assistant, camerawoman, director, script supervisor and photographer for the „Makhmalbaf Film House“. At the age of eight she made her first film „The Day My Aunt Was Ill“ (1997) by hand camera, which caused international sensation as the youngest filmmaker of all times at the Locarno film festival.

At the age of 14 she documented the shooting of Samira’s film „At Five in the Afternoon“. The result was her debut film „Joy of Madness“ (2003), that premiered at the film festival in Venice and received international awards. The same year she published her poetry book „Visa for One Moment“. At the age of 18 she made her first feature film „Buddha Collapsed Out Of Shame“ in Afghanistan. The film was well received world-wide, and won many internationally recognised awards including the Christal Bear and Peace Film Award at Berlinale 2008 and two awards each at Sundance and San Sebastian Film Festival.

Today Hana is involved with the democratic movement in her home country Iran. In this context she made her latest, politically explosive film „Green Days“ that she also produced and which forced her to go into exile. In it Hana transfers feature film scenes into the agitated streets of Teheran during the riots accompanying the elections in June 2009. The film was shown as a surprise in Venice and received the „Bravery Award“. It was recently screened at the important festivals of Toronto and San Sebastian.

Filmography (Excerpt):
The Day My Aunt Was ill (direction/script, short film 1997)
Joy of Madness (direction/camera, documentary 2003)
Buddha collapsed out of shame (direction, feature film 2007, Women’s Worlds 2008)
Samira & non professional actors (direction/camera, documentary 2008, Women’s Worlds 2008)
Green Days (direction/script, documentary 2009)

Sylvie Banuls (Adalil- Mistress of Tents)

Sylvie Banuls, born in 1955 in Lyon (France), finished school in 1972 with a German-French certificate and afterwards studied German language and literature, ethnology and art history. Initially she worked as a journalist, and in 1986 she was the co-founder of „Association A.M.Stop 14.29“, which develops video art installations. Since 1988 she has been involved in several film projects as a direction and production assistant and has developed her own films. She has lived in Munich since 1990, and shoots documentaries.

Filmography (Excerpt):
Freiheit, Gleichheit, Mütterlichkeit (direction, documentary 1996)
Paschas Erben (direction, documentary 2001)
Sexy Feinripp – Vom Liebestöter zum Kultobjekt (script/direction, documentary 2001, nominated for the Adolf Grimme Award 2002)
Liebe dich... (direction, documentary 2003)
Hchouma – Schande (direction, documentary 2006)
Gefesselte Worte (direction, documentary 2007)

Monika von Behr (The Women from Juchitán)

Monika von Behr was born in Ueberlingen in 1946. After studying German language and literature and art history, and completing her doctorate, she became an editor for the television news in Bonn and the WDR youth programme. Afterwards she taught media analysis, history of film, and general media relations at various colleges and universities. For many years she has been working world-wide as an author, director and producer for ZDF, ARTE, NDR and WDR.
For “The Women of Juchitán” she travelled as team member of a research expedition with ethnologist and sociologist Veronika Bennholdt-Thomsen to Juchitán, a trading town in the South of Mexico, where the matriarchal “Juchitecas” from the Zapotecas people have especially an economic supremacy.

Filmography (Excerpt):
Die Frauen von Juchitán (direction, documentary 1993)
Sweet Tweed - Rauer Stoff für feine Leute (direction/script, documentary 2005)
Zhao & Yang - Die Unbeirrbaren (direction/script/production, documentary 2007)
Berberteppiche - Geknüpfte Zauberzeichen (direction/script, documentary 2008)

Sigrid Dethloff (Hibos Song)

Sigrid Dethloff, originally a teacher, works as journalist and freelance writer. During a journey to Ethiopia together with Renate Bernhard in 1998, she was confronted with the topic of female genital mutilation. Affected by their experiences in Ethiopia, the two women founded the film- and audio production company „CouRage“ in 2001, which publishes documentaries on the topic of human- and women’s rights. Together they produced documentaries that have been awarded with multiple prizes a.o. the “Eine-Welt-Filmpreis NRW 2002“.

Filmography (Excerpt):
Narben, die keiner sieht – Beschnittene Frauen in Deutschland (direction/script, documentary 2001)
Iß Zucker und sprich süß – Zwangsheirat, die sogenannte Familienehre und ihre Opfer (direction, documentary 2005)
Hibos Lied (direction/script, documentary 2007)

Anette Limam (Short lecture on Matriarchy)

Anette Limam was born in 1948. For many years she worked as integration- and special education teacher, until she became a consultant for matriarchy research at the International Academy HAGIA in 2006. It was founded in 1986 by Heide Göttner-Abendroth, and deals with the research of matriarchal societies and cultures of the past and present.

Ingeborg Muff-Bongers (Slide show presentation on the Mosuo, China)

Ingeborg Muff-Bongers, born in 1954, was an optician until, in 1984, she and her husband decided to buy a former Lime Works, renovate it and live there as self-supporters. Since 1992 they hold courses, workshops and concerts on numerous topics, especially on a critical perception of of globalisation, ethnology, archaeology, mythology and critical matriarchy research. The main focus is on the critical analysis of our society, its historical roots and the search of alternatives. In “Kalkwerk” they founded the workgroup “Delusion of Globalisation” and cooperate with attac since 2004.
In 1993 she accompanied the renown matriarchy researcher Heide Göttner-Abendroth on her trip to South China to visit the Mosuo people, and so became one of the first western visitors of this still matriarchal society. Since then, Ingeborg Muff-Bongers is involved in matriarchal research and gives lectures about her trip.

Helga Reidemeister (Mein Herz sieht die Welt schwarz)

Helga Reidemeister, born in Halle/Saale in 1940, studied artistic painting. She worked as a restorer until, politicised by the student movement of the 1960s, she joined the Socialist German Student Association in 1966 where she became Rudi Dutschke’s companion in his fight for a renewed German society. From 1968 she worked as a social worker in Berlin’s „Märkischen Viertel”. There she was inspired to document and share the alarming reality in films. Since 1971 the mistress of filmmaking has made documentaries, which have been awarded with numerous prizes, a.o. the Peace Film Award of the Berlinale, the German Television Award and the Cinéma du Réel Award. Furthermore she teaches at the Film Academy Ludwigsburg a.o..
Her previous film, “Texas-Kabul”, was made shortly after September 11th, 2001. She wanted to do something against the threat of war at all costs. Therefore Helga Reidemeister travelled to different countries and talked to women there who fought against racism, nationalism and war. A film with four episodes from India, Serbia, Texas and Afghanistan was made. Especially Kabul impressed her and so it is not astonishing that her latest film “Mein Herz sieht die Welt schwarz- Eine Liebe in Kabul” led her back there.

Filmography (Excerpt):
Der gekaufte Traum (direction, documentary 1977)
Von wegen Schicksal (script/direction, documentary 1979)
Karola Bloch – Dann nimmt die Frau die Geschicke selbst in die Hand (script/direction, documentary 1982)
Mit starrem Blick aufs Geld (direction, documentary 1983)
Aufrecht gehen. Rudi Dutschke – Spuren (directin, documentary 1988)
Rodina heißt Heimat ( script/direction, documentary 1992)
Gotteszell – ein Frauengefängnis (direction, documentary 2001)
Texas-Kabul (direction/script/production, documentary 2004)
Mein Herz sieht die Welt schwarz (direction/script, documentary 2009)

Gertraud Schwarz (Weiberleut)

After her training as photographer at the College for Photography, Gertraud Schwarz studied visual media design at the University for Applied Arts. Short videos, video installations and interactive installations resulted from her work there. At present, she works as a free artist, media designer and filmmaker. Since 2002 she has focused on documentaries.

Filmography:
Borinboresi (direction/camera, documentary 2003)
Weiberleut (direction/script/camera, documentary 2009)

Carolina Vera (Defenseless)

Carolina Vera, born in Valparaìso (Chile) in 1973, immigrated with her mother to Berlin at the age of ten and quickly perfected her German. She completed her secondary education while living in Chile with her father, and then took up her studies at the Berlin University of the Arts (UdK). Soon the young student was discovered for television. To date, many rolls in series and films on German TV have followed. In 2004 she was nominated for the German Television Award with the sitcom “Bewegte Männer”. In „Schutzlos“ (2009) Carolina Vera plays the illegal immigrant Maria who has to cope with the difficulties of a life without identification papers. The woman, on whose story the film is based, is forced to stay anonymous but because of her intense preparations and a meeting with her, Carolina Vera will be able to give the Tuebinger audience a deeper account on this interesting story.

Filmography (Excerpt):
Wolffs Revier (Susi, TV-Series 1998)
Bewegte Männer (Dorothea Zöllner, TV-Series 2003-2005)
SOKO Köln (Ulrike Matthies, TV-Series 2005)
Das Parfum - Die Geschichte eines Mörders (Neapolitan, feature film 2006)
Tatort (attorney Emilia Álvarez, TV-Series 2009)
Schutzlos (Maria, feature film 2009)