TANZANIA TRANSIT

By Jeroen VAN VELZEN

SUB-TI LTD - as FEST

Road movie - Completed 2018

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.

Festivals
& Awards

Zurich FF 2018
International Documentary Film Competition
Tribeca Film Festival 2018
Best Cinematography in a Documentary Feature
Encounters South African International Documentary Festival 2018
Sheffield doc/fest 2018
Tartu Love Film Festival 2018
    • Year of production
    • 2018
    • Genres
    • Road movie, Documentary
    • Countries
    • NETHERLANDS
    • Languages
    • SWAHILI
    • Duration
    • 75 mn
    • Director(s)
    • Jeroen VAN VELZEN
    • Writer(s)
    • Jeroen VAN VELZEN, Esther EENSTROOM
    • Producer(s)
    • Digna SINKE (SNG FILM)
    • 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.