Mugabe and the White African

2009 British film

21 October 2009 (2009-10-21) (London Film Festival)

Running time

90 minutesCountryUnited KingdomLanguageEnglish

Mugabe and the White African is a 2009 documentary film by Lucy Bailey & Andrew Thompson and produced by David Pearson & Elizabeth Morgan Hemlock. It has won many awards including the Grierson 2010 and been BAFTA and Emmy Nominated. The film documents the lives of a white Zimbabwean family who run a farm in Chegutu, as they challenge the Fast Track land redistribution programme that redistributed white-owned estates, a legacy of colonialism and UDI, beginning in 2000. The film follows Mike Campbell, his son-in-law Ben Freeth, and their family as they challenge Robert Mugabe and the Zimbabwean government before the Southern African Development Community tribunal for racial discrimination and human rights violations.^[1] The film premiered in the UK on 21 October 2009 at the London Film Festival.^[2]

Reception

The documentary garnered considerable critical acclaim. It currently holds a 'fresh' rating of 97% on Rotten Tomatoes.^[3]

Awards and honours

Sterling World Feature Award, 2009 SILVERDOCS: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival.^[4]

References

^ Bell, Alex (25 June 2009). "Zimbabwe: Documentary on Chegutu Land Fight Wins International Award". AllAfrica.com. SW Radio Africa. Retrieved 4 August 2009.
^ de Castella, Tom (21 October 2009). "Betting the farm against Mugabe". BBC News Online Magazine. BBC. Retrieved 26 October 2009.
^ "Mugabe and the White African". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 20 February 2010.
^ "Silverdocs Announces 2009 Festival Winners" (Press release). Silverdocs: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival. 22 June 2009. Archived from the original on 26 June 2009. Retrieved 18 July 2009.