MY HEART OF DARKNESS
MY HEART OF DARKNESS by Eden Film & Gebrueder Beetz productions
Four war-veterans, former enemies journey back to past battlefields deep within the African interior in search of reconciliation, forgiveness and … atonement?
Directors Staffan Julén and Marius van Niekerk
“There are two kinds of men, those who dream of war and those who have nightmares of war” Marius van Niekerk
The characters in our film, MY HEART OF DARKNESS, are men who have nightmares of war. Forcefully recruited into the military at an early age, often to fight against their own countrymen. Four men, four stories entwined, four fucked-up lives. Always ready to crack, to strike out even against those they love? Why do they snap awake in the middle of the night, running, sweating, pursued, terrified?
MY HEART OF DARKNESS, a journey of reconciliation into the dark African jungle, into a psyche so tainted with years of colonisation, religious brainwash, superstition and witchcraft, where history seems unnoticed, mistakes repeated over and over again, where lies are true until discovered, where life’s worth as much as a bullet, a journey that took us into the darkest of our own souls.
It is undeniably a story that becomes frightening and cruel the farther we churned up that river. Nevertheless, deep down there is a flicker of hope, of human hope that tells of a will to change and the painful insight that shows the contrast of cruelty and selfishness… to dare to love your enemy.
As story infinite and universal, that all can relate to, even if you haven’t been in a war yourself. As more young boys return from Afghanistan to peaceful Sweden wrapped up in body bags, one often wanders what it take to quench the warmonger’s of this world’s thirst for blood, how many bodies will it take to still their hunger for death and destruction… and what will it take to cleanse all that?
During the nearly four years of working on the film, following the veterans journey up the river, closer and closer to their own hearts of darkness, we too had to delve deeper and deeper into our very own souls, our owns doubts but we had to go there to fully understand this process, to participate in that final blood cleansing ceremony. It was inspiring to watch our characters change and transform from former enemies to friends, and made us realise that veterans the world over, have many similarities and much to share and learn from each other. Deep down there the roots are at work, very often, with no one to encourage them.
They are true role models, risking proving to themselves and also to us, that reconciliation is possible and that war is fucked up, and that most people just want to live a peaceful life.
Stockholm 05 November 2010
Wednesday, 31 October 2012
Saturday, 11 February 2012
“MY HEART OF DARKNESS”: AN INTERVIEW
The journey of an international documentary to the United States is an uncertain one. Make its subject a lesser-known foreign war and the post-traumatic effects thereof, and you’ve got what an American agent calls a “hard sell.” My Heart of Darkness, a brooding foray into four veterans’ pasts, has been traveling the international festival circuit since premiering at IDFA in 2010. The years between then and now, where it’s having its U.S. premiere at L.A.’s Pan African Film Festival (PAFF), has been marked by all manner of revelations and misunderstandings—appropriate for a film about the reconciliation of four former enemies of the Angolan Civil War.
Our screening at PAFF LA, Rave Cinemas Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza
Mon, Feb 13@2:pm Screen 13
Wed, Feb 15@3:00pm Screen 13
Fri, Feb 17@600pm Screen 14
Welcome. Me and DoP Peter Östlund will be present during the screening.
Sunday, 8 January 2012
PAN AFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL PAFF, Los Angeles 9-20 Feb. 2012.
It would be great to establish collaboration with war veterans NGO's and I would be very interested in having screening & debates/workshops/conferences at the different war veterans organisations.
We have lots to talk about.
Warmest regards from a cold Stockholm.
Marius
Our screening at PAFF LA, Rave Cinemas Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza
Mon, Feb 13@2:pm Screen 13
Wed, Feb 15@3:00pm Screen 13
Fri, Feb 17@600pm Screen 14
Welcome. Me and DoP Peter Östlund will be present during the screening.
Tuesday, 27 December 2011
War veterans returned to Angola - Helsingborgs Daily Newspaper HD
- When my daughter started asking questions, I felt that I needed to go back, if only to ask for forgiveness to Angola, says filmmaker Marius van Niekerk. He took this atonement journey, which became the documentary "My Heart of Darkness."
African night sky weaves anguished memories and tares up the mental wounds, but suddenly, around a campfire, lit also sparks of hope. During the journey tells Marius of his war crimes. And the nightmares, alcoholism and violence that became his companion.
- My first assignment was to guard a buffer zone and suddenly we found ourselves in the fire-fight. When all was over, it appeared that there were only women and children, although no civilian was suppose to be in the area. It was quickly repress and collective debt was replaced with a strange feeling, like after winning a rugby match.
He entices the others to open up and bear witness to horror and vile abuse. The journey ends with everyone going through a cleansing ritual where they burn Samuel's uniforms and Marius worn cardboard box with photographs and stale memories.
- She has done a fantastic job and it's great that reconciliation efforts in Africa noted. Leymah said very wisely, among other things, that every individual has the responsibility for their actions. There is of course more or less debt. For example, in the awful events of 1970 - and 80-century Angola.
- They have not gone through a healing process, just as in South Africa and Liberia, and soldiers from the liberation movement and the guerrillas are still living in hiding in fear of revenge. Ordinary people, but also military, accusing the government for what happened. At the individual level, however, little has happened, says Marius van Niekerk.
After two years he decided to desert, to escape the madness and not have to fight against his countrymen. Instead he was forced to go underground and parents were subjected to threats. When his name appeared on a death list, he decided to leave South Africa. And so, on a kibbutz in Israel, met the war-weary soldier, a young Swedish.
Love brought him to a chilly but peaceful country in northern Europe and he became the father of two daughters. All the time he fought against his demons and trying to hold them back with too much alcohol. He was aggressive and tense and could identify with American Vietnam veterans when he saw a film about their post-traumatic stress. He realized that the number of specialty psychologists were limited. So he started his own self-help groups, and finally came to a point where he realized that the only way out of the darkness was returning to ... the darkness.
It took three years to find fellow passengers before the boat headed straight into the Angolan jungle in desperate search of apocalyptic self- purification. Marius van Niekerk has also had time to process his identity as a white South African.
- I was ashamed of my background when I came to Sweden and while hated the old generation - my parents, church and government. As a “boer” he received a stern, Calvinist upbringing on the family farm outside Bloemfontein. The indoctrination was that apartheid was the obvious norm and that all freedom fighters were communists and should be annihilated.
- At one point I told my parents that the man they hated and called our worst enemy, Nelson Mandela, would one day become the president. They were upset and did not talk to me for many years. But it’s gotten better and they changed their attitude, even if they are worried about the current developments in the country. The next film project called "City of Joy-the raped women, their rapist & healers in DRC" focuses on eastern Congo and the monumental cruelty to women of all ages are exposed to.
- I have spent weeks interviewing victims who tell horror stories, girls with their genitals torn. I want to confront offenders, often young boys, with what they've done. Somehow I want to access the mechanisms that underlie these barbaric atrocities.
Soldiers who rape and desecrates and patriarchal societies that turn out victims. Is it possible to forgive, and it is really reconciliation we want, at every possible price?
- Society must take responsibility and create justice. Whether the it’s possible to forgive is placed on an individual basis. One thing is certain, we men have much to work with.
Saturday, 17 December 2011
WINNER BEST DOCUMENTARY AWARD 4TH LUANDA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2011
Sunday, 6 November 2011
MY HEART OF DARKNESS at the7th FREE ZONE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
My Heart of Darkness screening 8-11-11 at the Utorak
THE 7th EDITION OF FREE ZONE FILM FESTIVAL
From the 4th to the 9th of November at Belgrade Cultural Center and Dom Omladine
The 7th edition of FREE ZONE festival will take place from the 4th to the 9th of November at Belgrade Cultural Center and Dom Omladine.This year‘s edition is presented by the authors who, through their personal example and their films, deeply commit faith in man and the ability to change, regardless of historical circumstances and personal limitations, religious and social dogmas and pressures.At the opening night of the festival on the 4th of November, at Belgrade Cultural Center we will present “This is not a film“ by Jafar Panahi, famous and award-wining director from Iran.This movie, smuggled form Iran on a USB stick hidden in a cake, represents a great statement of the Iranian director as a response to the circumstances of the house arrest when he finds out that Teheran court has upheld a six-year jail sentence and 20-year filmmaking, freedom of movement and media exposure ban against him.During six festival days, Belgrade audience will be able to see around 40 films that deal with and explore social and political events from all around the world. The program also displays a selection of films from contemporary Swedish engaged documentary production, and the work of graduates of one of the world’s most prestigious film schools - the National Film School of London. The audience will also have a unique opportunity to watch a number of films that explore the position of women in the modern world or the films directed by women.The visual identity of the festival was developed in collaboration with young forces, high school students from Serbia who gave us a new perspective on the topic of TOMORROW. This is exactly the reason why the festival is presenting a line of films that are selected by high school students in view of their representation of perspectives and attitudes.As every year, the audience award for the best film of the festival will be given through purchasing rights for TV broadcasting, and for the third time we will also give the award for the audience – for the best film review of this year‘s Free Zone. The prize is a laptop.The festival warm up will start on the 28th of October at Cultural Center REX at 8PM with a concert of Boris Kovač (Serbia) and David Yengibarjan (Armenia). FREE ZONE audience that is constantly seeking new challenges will have the chance to listen to these two musicians who are ready to cooperate with others and to experiment with new expressions. Their music is characterized by specific expressions that combine classical, jazz and chamber music, improvisation and elements of rich national traditions.Tickets for the festival will be on sale from the October 28th at the ticket office of Belgrade Cultural Center and Dom Omladine. Individual tickets will cost 200RSD, while the revival screenings tickets will cost 150 dinars.Take your seat in the FREE ZONE! TODAY!
http://www.freezonebelgrade.org/en/festival/filmovi/moje-srce-tame/
Tuesday, 11 October 2011
I WILL NEVER TALK ABOUT WAR AGAIN - SCREENING & DEBATE FÄRGFABRIKEN 16 OCT 16.00
http://www.fargfabriken.se/index.php?sit=arkiv&id=313