Review by Rod Freedman

I Am Not Your Negro Dir: Raoul Peck | USA

If you think you know about the American civil rights movement, this Oscar-nominated film directed by political filmmaker Raoul Peck, will give you insight on a deeper level both poetic and political. James Baldwin’s words, narrated by Samuel L Jackson, take us inside those seminal and traumatic times.

Baldwin started but never finished, a book on Malcolm X, Martin Luther King and Medgar Evers, three very different activists who were each assassinated. Baldwin’s unpublished writing is the profound, passionate and eloquent voice that takes us inside those times and struggles. The archival footage is extraordinary and powerful, including passages of Baldwin at talk shows, interviews and rallies. The consistency and power of Baldwin’s reflections and intellect make for a cohesive, emotional and ultimately uplifting experience.

ROD FREEDMAN is an independent director and producer whose documentaries have won many Australian and international awards and screened in dozens of film festivals. Rod is particularly interested in stories about people and their life’s journeys.

Review By Rod Freedman

My Year With Helen Dir: Gaylene Preston | New Zealand

New Zealand filmmaker Gaylene Preston follows former PM Helen Clark over a year in her bid to become the 1st Secretary General of the UN after 72 years of male SGs. We know she didn’t succeed, but the process is revealing of the behind-the-scenes machinations and politicking of the powerful and not so powerful countries.

An inspiring portrait of a forthright woman, a major player on the world stage who still ensures her ageing dad has homemade frozen dinners while she’s away running the United Nations Development Program.

The film conveys how tough it is to break the remaining glass ceilings. May it motivate future generations of women to keep at it!

- Helen Clark, 2017