Angels In Exile
Sunday, April 12, 3:30 p.m.
All films at the Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, SFU Woodward’s
Angels In Exile challenges viewers to look past the violent and often graphic image of homeless youth and see them for what they are — children. In the face of constant violence, rape, trafficking, abductions and murder, the street kids of Durban have next to no way out, most turning to sniffing glue for a temporary escape.
Director Billy Raftery shares a story eight years in the making. He focuses on two inspiring kids — Zuleika and Ariel. We witness their entire adolescence, observe their fight to survive not only the dangers around them but also the haunting memories of the past that led them to run to the streets in the first place.
READ: At VSAFF, Angels in Exile looks at life on the streets (Georgia Straight)
After the film, a knowledgeable and experienced panel will link the issues of Vancouver street youth with their sisters and brothers in Durban. Director Billy Raftery takes part. Melanie Mark, a longtime advocate for youth with Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond (B.C. representative for children and youth), brings a First Nations lens to this B.C./South Africa connection.
Official Website | Watch the Trailer
Rating: TBA
Runtime: 1 hour 20 minutes
Director: Billy Raftery
Narrated by: Charlize Theron
Executive Producers: David Johnson, Riza Aziz, Joe Petri, Harry Barton
Producers: Billy Raftery, Adam Paul Smith, Franklin Martin, Doug Matjeka
Awards
- BEST SOUTH AFRICAN DOCUMENTARY – DURBAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, 2013
- OFFICIAL SELECTION - SANTA BARBARA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, 2013
- OFFICIAL SELECTION – ARUBA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, 2013
What The Critics Are Saying
“Narrated by Charlize Theron … Angels in Exile represents a new model for the social change documentary, where the activism and the filmmaking are inextricably linked. Raftery has captured a deeply intimate and realistic look at the lives of these street kids and the circumstances that dictate their situations.”
— Katie Walsh, INDIEWIRE
“It’s as heavy as documentary filmmaking gets, so I’d recommend bringing some tissues.”
— Matt Kettman, THE SANTA BARBARA INDEPENDENT