While the subjects featured in the documentary are from Zimbabwe, South Africa, Europe and the US, the crew is composed of creatives from the US, South Africa, Eastern Europe and Mexico. IPI is directed by a female filmmaker with a multi-cultural and extremely talented crew. Read their bios ...

“For me, the warrior is someone that doesn’t give up. They keep

on pushing. Because they don’t know what’s waiting for them in the future.”

 

These words were shared to me by a phenomenal South African dancer named PHELANI. They speak of the strength and beauty of the human spirit, something I saw again and again through the subjects of the film.

 

My journey began with a 16 mm film of Ipi N Tombi , a South African musical my late father filmed before I was born and which I found decades after his abrupt passing. The musical tells a tale of a man who leaves his Zulu village to find work in the goldmines where conditions are harsh and inhumane, and it turned out to have an interesting backstory of its own.

 

Journeying beyond the archival footage, I found an exceptional group of dancers, choreographers, and modern-day mine workers connected to the original musical,  their stories connected by common themes of loss, trauma and triumph. It's my intention to capture these stories as authentically as possible, letting the dance and the dancers speak for themselves. Restaging musical numbers they performed in decades ago, the musical's original choreographers will come to life as characters in my film.  

 

 

Upon discovering the footage my father had left behind, I was immediatedly drawn to the vibrant and powerful music of Ipi N Tombi. Its powerful drumbeat became a catalyst for a personal journey of grief and acceptance. 

 

 

In understanding the musical's story, it was crucial for me to delve into the political setting of apartheid-era South Africa at the time of its premiere. The music's themes had deeper meaning, during a time when many forms of expression were restricted and when the arts could serve as a means of freedom and defiance. Against that backdrop, in modern day South Africa and within the constructed reality of this film, music and dance are powerful instruments, connecting different generations in distant countries. 

 

 

While exploring the harsh conditions of the mining industry today, we spend time with miners such as PROSPER, a Zimbabwean mining for gold in Johannesburg, who mirror the protagonist of the musical. In looking to understand the life of miners in today's South Africa, I find parallels to some of the musical's story. Prosper dreams of working in the South African tourism industry. But because he needs to support his family back home and no other options for work, he has no other choice but to work in the mines. Like many who suffer the physical consequences of working in this field, Prosper has severe asthma. Music is an integral part of his life, present in the Zimbabwean melodies he sings below ground, an escape from the harsh reality of his working conditions. When I met with Prosper for the first time on the outskirts of Johannesburg moments after a powerful rainstorm, he sang a transporting Zimbabwean melody calling for ancestral protection. In this documentary, we would follow Prosper at home, shadowing him in the morning before mining while discovering stories of his home country upon his return from an exhausting day at work. We'd  hear the protective melodies he sings going underground. Will he still be mining underground as time continues to pass? Will he be able to support his family? Will he become a father? How will his health withstand the rigors of his unchosen trade?

 

 

Three years ago, I traveled to South Africa to meet some of the original dancers of the musical. From that initial trip, friendships molded with TODD TWALA (original dancer of the musical) and ADELE BLANK (dance captain of the musical). Last year, I returned to South Africa where Todd Twala and Adele choreographed dance numbers from the musical with a new generation of dancers.

 

 

While it’s our role as artists to communicate powerful stories in the best way possible, certain moments in history call for something more. My personal objective is to explore the loss of my father through an investigation of this musical, but I also want to address the social and political setting of South Africa at the time that the musical premiered in its home country and abroad.

 

Ipi N Tombi toured abroad just a year after the Soweto Uprising. My late father captured the musical on film when the dancers arrived in Jerusalem before their world tour. The artists became vocal members of the opposition, using their platform to spread awareness of the oppression their families suffered back home.

 

In 1976, a now iconic photo of a young student shot by police circulated in the newspapers: Sam Nzima’s arresting portrait of a horrified student carrying a thirteen-year old Hector Pieterson, moments after being shot by police. Pieterson’s lifeless body became a symbol, and then a spark for badly needed change to the oppressive system of apartheid in South Africa.

 

I intend to explore this theme in the documentary, revealing the social setting of a country in which music and the arts were such vital instruments in creating change. Learning more about my father’s goals and the aspirations he was never able to fulfill, I will travel to South Africa to delve into the musical’s backstory and deeper meaning, and ultimately, to get to know the young man my father once was. 

 

 

The musical’s story focuses on a man who leaves his Zulu village to find work in the goldmines, despite harsh and inhumane conditions—and in this theme, I'll find a parallel to the story of my father, an Iraqi refugee raised in Israel who eventually found his way to America. With many African men leaving their villages and flocking to Johannesburg in search of opportunity, Ipi N Tombi, initially titled the Warrior, mirrored the reality of apartheid era South Africa at the time.

 

 

Through stories that center on loss and perseverance, we’ll find people who do something positive in the face of tremendous obstacles. We meet a gold miner who dreams of creating a better life for his family but finds his health faltering as a result of his work. Dancers who grew up in extreme poverty but seek to use their gifts to surmount the odds. Choreographers who, in sharing the lessons of their craft and life experiences with a new generation of dancers, find a sense of purpose. Each of these stories is woven together through my journey initiated by loss, the culmination of a project begun by my late father decades ago.

 

 

 

 

 

 

WHY THIS CAMPAIGN?  WHAT STILL NEEDS TO BE DONE....

 

I've transferred the original negative of Ipi to digital files as well as old super 8 mm and 16 mm film of my parents before their move to America. I have roughly 14 hours of footage from last year's shoot that still needs to be edited. With the money raised in this campaign, I'd like to cover one interview shoot and editing fees in order to create a thirty minute work sample of the documentary thus far. My overall budget is 500K which I've spent 12% from my own funding thus far.  There are still 5 shoots remaining, spanning locations from the California desert to the Eastern Cape to Johannesburg, Cape Town, Kruger Park and Europe. Because I want to showcase the political setting of South Africa at the time of the musical's premiere, I will need to bring on a researcher and accumulate archival footage of the Soweto Uprising and footage of the musical seen in South Africa and abroad. 

 

By raising the funds to complete this initial step in creating a strong work sample, we together, can continue this journey in making Ipi.