FRAGMENTS FROM HEAVEN
Other movies
PANDA BEAR IN AFRICA
Director: Richard Claus
When Panda Ping’s best friend, Jielong the Dragon, is kidnapped by a baboon and smuggled to Africa, Ping sets off from their forest home in South China to rescue him - stowing away on a junk ship, he lands in East Africa and gets captured. Alongside the monkey Jojo, Ping escapes, and they cross deserts and mountains facing down the hippopotamus, an army of meerkats and a suspicious hyena before discovering Jielong at the court of King Ade, a spoilt teenage lion. But Ade is not safe either: his uncle, evil Malume, is plotting to dethrone him and destroy the neighbouring jungle home of Niala, Ping’s new hyena friend. Ping is just one small panda. Can he save everyone?
SIMA’S SONG
Director: Roya Sadat
Afghanistan in 1972 is a cauldron of opposing political forces. Suraya, part of an influential political family, becomes head of the dominant Communist Party’s women’s organisation, believing it is the best hope for equal rights. Her friend Sima is sceptical of all politics and, as a talented musician, is dedicated to her traditional art and its romantic themes. Despite their differences, these two young women remain best friends through university, even when Sima marries and starts attending Muslim Youth meetings. When the army starts arresting Muslim activists, Suraya helps her friends escape to the mountains and the protection of the mujahadeen, but war follows them. The film is a marvellous testament to the courage and loyalty of Afghani women in the face of constant adversity.