Tanzania Transit - Jeroen van Velzen

TANZANIA TRANSIT

Year:
2018
Length:
59 minutes (television version) & 75 minutes (theatre version)

Tagline:
Passengers on a train through East Africa tell their stories

Logline:
We travel on a train that crosses Tanzania, a riding microcosm, where people are trapped in the East African system of corruption, oppression and poverty. Three main characters, passengers on this train, tell their life stories, reflecting on the strength to survive within this society.

Synopsis:
In this feature length documentary we follow Rukia, Peter and Isaya while embarking on a journey for three days and nights on a train crossing Tanzania. On the way they tell their life stories, which show their strength to survive.
Rukia is an independent woman, who runs her own bar near the mines in the dessert, a brutal world dominated by men. The goal of her trip is to find a place where she can begin a new life.
Isaya, an old Masai, sits in the poorest part of the train with his grandson William on his way back to his family in the “bush“. In the train they are confronted with prejudice their fellow passengers have towards Masai.
Peter travels first class. Once he was a leader of a large gang, but now he is a powerful preacher who makes money by letting his (poor) followers pay for his dubious services.
These three characters have one thing in common: how desperate their lives have sometimes been, they all found a way to go on.

Cast:
N/A

Crew:
direction: Jeroen van Velzen
script: Jeroen van Velzen i.c.w. Esther Eenstroom
camera: Niels van Koevorden
sound: Tim van Peppen
editing: Patrick Minks
sound design: Marc Lizier / Klink
image post-production: Loods Lux en Lumen
music: Christiaan Verbeek
producer: Digna Sinke

this film is a co-production of SNG Film with EO / IKONdocs

this film is financially supported by:
Netherlands Film Fund and Netherlands Film Fund Production Incentive
CoBO-fonds
Dutch Cultural Media Fund

Awards:
Tribeca Film Festival 2018: Best Cinematography in a Documentary Feature