Coming to PBS’ Independent Lens next Thursday, March 22: PUSHING THE ELEPHANT
Beth Davenport and Elizabeth Mandel premiered their portrait of humanitarian activist Rose Mapendo at New York’s 2010 Human Rights Watch International Film Festival. It went on to screen at Human Rights Watch’s London festival and IDFA among others, and screened theatrically through DocuWeeks, before making its broadcast premiere on Independent Lens a year ago.
Mapendo emerged from the horrific ethnic warfare of the Democratic Republic of the Congo radically transformed. She lost her husband to murder, witnessed her daughter raped by a soldier, which resulted in a pregnancy, and herself became pregnant during the conflict. While most people might wish to forget and move forward, Rose recognized the need to come to terms with the past lest it fester and return again stronger. Having left her homeland for Arizona, she has dedicated her life to reconciliation and peace, sharing her painful story as she works with other refugees and victims of violence. This exceptional film focuses a great deal on Mapendo’s own often challenging reunion with her daughter Nangabire, who she had to leave behind for more then a decade. Indicative of the openness that Mapendo demonstrates throughout the film, this personal aspect of her life further humanizes her, moving her from an imposing activist figurehead to a relatable single mother who has to do a lot of work to balance her various responsibilities.
what (not) to doc 