Background
The Salisbury International Arts Festival was named "one of the top multi-arts festivals in the country'' along with Edinburgh and Brighton in The Information Supplement 2005 and described in 2005 by the Independent on Sunday as "The best festival to attend this summer" along with the Edinburgh Fringe. "The Best Festival" Big Issue 2006

Each year the Festival invites artists from around the world to perform over seventeen days & nights in Salisbury and the surrounding area.


REel Films @ The Arts Centre

Salisbury International Arts Festival has a year round programme of cutting edge arthouse, world cinema, documentaries and archive classics. Over the next few months we are proud to bring you a number of exclusive presentations, advance previews and premieres, along with classic films from the archives and seldom seen lost gems. All films are accompanied by optional educational talks or discussion groups.


The Team

Board Members
Laura Phillips (Chairman)
Peter Bolton
Joss Dalrymple
The Reverend Maggie Guillebaud
Nick Molden
Phil Simnett
Dame Rosemary Spencer
Russell Warby
Chris Martin

Festival Staff
Jo Metcalf - Festival Director
Caroline Peacock, Debbie Rigg - Festival Managers
Jane Thomas - Communications and Development Manager
Cindy Moxham - Fundraising Manager
Liz Eason - Finance and Operations Administrator
Lucy O'Neill - Events and Marketing Co-ordinator
Sue Kent - Friends Administrator
Anna Smith - Box Office Manager
Geraldine Fairfax- Cholmeley - Event Manager
John Eeles - Technical Manager

Festival Contributors
Adrian Harris - Photographer
Colin Holton - Salisbury Live
Bin Scaburri - REad


HEART OF AFRICA
Our focus on this fascinating continent offers a feast of cultural diversity.

From the opening weekend's unmissable performance from the hottest African act around, Tinariwen, to the intensely moving Miracle In Rwanda and our magnificent closing
concert Africa: Rejoice - we will take you on a magical journey from Cairo via Guinea to the Cape of Good Hope.

DOUBLE BILL

A Lion's Trail
This revealing film traces the hit single The Lion Sleeps Tonight back to its original Zulu creator.

The film's editor Peter Neale will introduce the film.

+

As Old As My Tongue: The Myth and Life of Bi Kidude
Swahili with Subtitles
This fascinating documentary reveals the dramatic contrasts in the long life of this iconic.

Director Andy Jones with will introduce his film and answers questions afterwards.

Sat 24 May 12.30pm Salisbury Museum


Masai: The Rain Warriors (Massaï: Les guerriers de la pluie) PG
Masai with Subtitles
This is the first film to be solely populated by Masai and spoken entirely in their native tongue, and tells the story of a group of young warriors trying to save their village from drought.

Tue 27 May 5.30pm Arts Centre

Son of Man 12a
Xhoa/English with Subtitles
The story of the Gospels re-told as a tale of corruption and redemption in a contemporary African city.

Mike Auret from Spier Films will introduce the film and answer questions afterwards.

Tue 27 May 7.30pm Arts Centre

Abouna (Our Father) PG
In French and Arabic with Subtitles
The lives of two brothers are up-ended when they awake one morning to find that their father has left the family. They go off in search of him, but instead find themselves.

Thu 29 May 6pm Arts Centre

Bunny Chow 15
This edgy urban comedy follows three comics on a roadtrip to the Oppi Koppi festival.

Thu 29 May 8pm Arts Centre


Azure and Asmar: The Princes Quest U
Childhood playmates become rivals in a quest for the djinn's fairy. An enchanting and exotic fairytale set in NorthAfrica.

Sat 31 May 1pm Arts Centre



Classics of African Cinema
Dr David Murphy, one of the UK's leading experts on African cinema, will be talking about his book and introducing some of the films.

Sat 31 May 3pm Arts Centre
African Film Expert.
Dr David Murphy is one of the leading experts on African cinema working in Britain today, and a Senior Lecturer at the University of Stirling. He has published widely on African, particularly Senegalese, culture including African Cinema: Ten Directors (Manchester UP, 2007) and Sembene: Imagining Alternatives in Film and Fiction (James Currey, 2000).
He will be talking about African cinema and introducing and answering questions on two classics of African cinema Black Girl and Yeelen.

Black Girl 15
French with Subtitles
This award winning debut follows a Senegalese maid through her bitter story of exile and despair.
+
Borom Sarret
French with Subtitles.
A fascinating snapshot of life in Dakar. The first ever indigenous black African film.

Sat 31 May 4pm Arts Centre


Yeelen PG
French / Bambara with Subtitles.
Based on an ancient oral legend from Maliabout a young man on a quest to escape a curse, this film is as visually stunning as anything from Hollywood.

Sat 31 May 7.30pm Arts Centre

U-Carmen Ekhayelitsha 12a
In Xhosa with subtitles.
Professionally sung in native Xhosa, this retelling of Bizet's classic opera has captured the imaginations of audiences the world over.

Mon 2 Jun 3pm Arts Centre

Tsotsi 15
Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans with Subtitles.
On the crime ridden streets of Johannesburg, Tsotsi's life has no meaning beyond survival. One night, in desperation, Tsotsi murders a woman and steals her car, only to findher baby on the back seat.This Oscar winning film is an extraordinary portrait of enduring compassion and the significance of choices.

Mon 2 June 7.30pm Arts Centre

Daratt (Dry Season) PG
Arabic / French with Subtitles
In the aftermath of Chad's civil war, 16 year old Atim is sent to avenge his father's killer. The man he finds is charitable, benevolent and with a young pregnant wife. Soon Atim is working as his apprentice and is confronted with difficult moral decisions.

Sat 7 June1pmArts Centre


Angola : Saudades From the One Who Loves You
Portuguese with Subtitles
Made in collaboration with Angolan singer Paulo Flores, this film is both a careful guide through Angola's contradictions and a celebration of peace.

Director Richard Pakleppa will introduce his film and answer questions from the audience after the screening.

Sat 7 June 3.30pm Arts Centre


TRIPLE BILL
FILMS OF FLORENCE AYISI
Born in Cameroon, Florence is a senior lecturer in fi lm theory and practice at the University of Wales. Her fi lms reflect her interests in representations of Africa in the media and African women and cinema.

ZANZIBAR SOCCER QUEENS
TANZANIA/UK. 2007. 52 MINS. SWAHILI WITH SUBTITLES
A film exploring how a passion for football is empowering Muslim women. It's a powerful story of aspirations and shattered dreams, of lives gone sour and then recovered through confidence gained from playing football. Whether you're a fan of the beautiful game or not, you will find yourselves rooting for these strong willed women as they tackle problems both on the pitch and in their personal lives.

OUR WORLD IN ZANZIBAR
TANZANIA/UK. 2007. 35 MINS. ENGLISH/SWAHILI WITH SUBTITLES
A personal account of the migration stories of foreign women who have gravitated towards the tropical island of Zanzibar. The film reveals their past experiences and their reason for choosing to live on the world's poorest continent.

MY MOTHER ASTANGE
CAMEROON. 2005. 7 MINS
A personal and affectionate tribute in memory of a mother and the 'precious gift' she gave her 10 children.


ON THE RUN FILM PROGRAMME
Sun 25 May -5pm Tisbury Village Hall - Masai (see above)

Mon 26 May -5pm Dinton Village Hall - Masai (see above)

Fri 30 May -7pm Figheldean Village Hall - The Wooden Camera (see below)

Thu 5 June -7pm West Tythereley Village Hall - The Wooden Camera (see below)


The Wooden Camera 15
This award-winning film is a compelling story of fate, friendship and life altering choices. Two teenage boys discover a dead body clutching a briefcase containing a gun and a video camera. One grabs the gun, which leads him into a life of street crime. The other takes the camera and discovers a new world through its lens. South Africa Tourism logo here



All films are £6 unless otherwise stated.

We have great pleasure in welcoming Archbishop Desmond Tutu to Salisbury for the Peace Weekend. In this very special event the Nobel Peace Prize and Gandhi Peace Prize winner will discuss his ministry of peace and his commitment to humanitarian causes.

In 2007 we had:
Over 100 shows with artists from 19 countries
Over 25,000 attendees
Plus 10,000 people attended free events
2 World Premiers
9 UK exclusives
19 sold out shows
3000 Festival Fiesta attendees
Over 400 members of the community took part in Salisbury Salsa - through this project the Festival engaged with local and rural primary schools, disability groups, local businesses and local villages.


Salisbury International Arts Festival 2008
'Celebrating 35 years'

More than 115 shows with artists from 15 countries
Over 30,000 attendees
With 17,000 people attending free events
2 World Premieres & 3 UK Premieres
6 UK Exclusives
19 sold out shows
3000 Closing Concert attendees

Impressive international and national media coverage:
Over £1 million worth of print coverage and more than 70 million opportunities to see or hear about the Festival (increase of 27 million from 2007)

Including: BBC television news, ITV television news, Radio 3 - The Verb & Afternoon on 3, The Telegraph, The Times, The Guardian, The Independent, Period Living & The Sunday Times.

International coverage includes coverage on BBC World Service, Tonight - South Africa, GWN TV Network Australia, Cape Argus (South Africa)