An African Election


An African Election

a documentary film by Jarreth Merz
Switzerland/USA 2010, digital>35mm, 90′ and 52′, o.v. English, sbt. Italian/voice-over English

anafricanelection.com

Festivals & Prizes

International Documentary Film Festival, Amsterdam 2010
Sundance Film Festival, Park City (Utah) 2011
Vision du Réel, Nyon 2011 – Audience Award
Berlin International Film Festival, Berlin 2011
Atlanta Film Festival, Atlanta 2011 – Grand Jury Award
Rome Independent Film Festival, Rome 2011 – New Vision Award
Beldocs, Belgrade 2011
Docaviv, Tel Aviv 2011
Seattle International Film Festival, Seattle 2011
Appellations Suisse, Festival del film Locarno 2011
Filmfest, Hambourg 2011
2012 African Movie Academy Awards – Best documentary
Nominated for the “Best documentary 2012” at the Film Indipendent Spirit Awards

Synopsis:

The 2008 Presidential elections in Ghana, West Africa, serve as a backdrop for this feature documentary that looks behind-the-scenes at the complex, political machinery of a Third World democracy struggling to legitimize itself to its first world contemporaries. At stake in this race are the fates of two political parties that will do almost anything to win. Director Jarreth Merz follows the key players for almost three months to provide an unprecedented insider’s view of the political, economic and social forces at work in Ghana.
He builds suspense by taking the viewer down the back roads of the nation to capture each unexpected twist and turn in a contest that is always exciting and never predictable.Throughout the film, Merz depicts the pride and humanity of the larger-than-life politicians, party operatives and citizens who battle for the soul of their country.

Credits

Director:
Jarreth Merz
Production:
Amka Films Productions, Urban Republic Films, RSI - Swiss Television
Swiss distribution:
Frenetic Films, Zürich Sales in UK: Dogwoof