BUSHMAN'S SECRET

World Premiere

The multi-billion dollar market for weight loss drugs offers a potential savior for the way of life of the Bushmen of the Kalahari known as the Khomani. In BUSHMAN'S SECRET, filmmaker Desai takes his camera into the Kalahari to capture a pivotal moment in South African history when a traditional culture, decimated by centuries of colonial exploitation, could be lost forever.

The Khomani bushmen are hunter gatherers who wandered the vast plains of the Kalahari, gaining extraordinary knowledge of the desert flora and fauna. They developed a sophisticated method of healing with herbs and plants. Desai meets Jan van der Westhuizen, a Khomani San traditional healer who introduces us to the cactus Hoodia, a non-stimulating appetite suppressant, which the Khomani have used to stave off hunger in difficult times. Ironically, in the civilized world Hoodia represents a potential miracle cure for millions of overweight people seeking a safe appetite suppressant. A global pharmaceutical company is developing the drug and offering the Khomani a payment in exchange.

BUSHMAN'S SECRET captures the dramatic tension between tradition and modernity, the desire to maintain and value a unique culture and the very real need to escape abject poverty when the old way of life is no longer possible. It speaks to the complex ways in which ancient cultures were once devalued and are now valued, but perhaps too late.

-Patricia Finneran

DIRECTOR BIO
Rehad Desai has a history degree from the University of Zimbabwe and a postgraduate degree in TV and film producing. In 1996 Rehad entered the TV and film industry as a director and producer, where he has focused much of his energy on historical and socio-political productions. His 2004 documentary BORN INTO STRUGGLE, about his relationship with his father-a leader in the South African liberation movement-won numerous awards, including the Cape Town World Cinema Festival. Desai is presently the South African board member for SACOD, a regional filmmakers organisation, and is the convenor for the United Producers Initiative in South Africa.

Print Source:
Zivia Desai Keiper, Uhuru Productions
27 Palmer Road Muizenberg
Cape Town, 7945
South Africa
+27.21.788.5462
zivia@uhuruproductions.co.za

PRECEDED BY...GLIMPSE
Dan Jawitz, Alberto Iannuzzi
SOUTH AFRICA, 2005, 22 MINUTES

GLIMPSE is a visual tour de force capturing the rich color palette and powerful imagery of South Africa.

Print Source:
Dan Jawitz
Vox Pix
Suite 256, Pvt Bag X9
Melville South Africa
2109
+27.11.403.3835
dan@voxpix.net

6/16 at 5:45 PM

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