PRESIDENT
DIRECTOR: CAMILLA NIELSSON
WINNER: World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Vérité Filmmaking
Jurors: Kim Longinotto, Mohamed Saïd Ouma, Jean Tsien
SELECTED LINKS & QUOTES
ENGLISH
VARIETY
Camilla Nielsson’s Extraordinary Documentary Traces the Alleged Theft of an Election, Guy Lodge, Jan 29, 2012.
“Nielsson’s filmmaking maintains its poise and intelligence whether negotiating procedural banalities or frenzied panic in the streets”.
“Politics consistently creates its own tragedy and comedy, and this vital, devastating documentary knows when simply to stand in the crowd.”
THE NEW YORK TIMES
Documentaries That Don’t Despair, A.O Scott, Jan 30, 2021.
“The way this film confronts the fragility of democracy and the ever-looming possibility of violence hit home for this American viewer in a way that was both harrowing and humbling.”
ROGER EBERT
Sundance 2021: President, The Most Beautiful Boy in the World, Flee, Robert Daniels, Jan 29, 2021.
“Measured and methodical, Nielsson’s PRESIDENT is a devastating, heartened report of democracy in peril against a dictator, a report that suddenly feels all-too familiar to Americans.”
SCREEN DAILY
‘President’: Sundance Review, Fionnuala Haligan, Jan 29, 2021.
“A remarkable story of bravery and determination against daunting odds in Zimbabwe’s first “free and fair” elections”.
CBS NEWS
2021 Sundance Film Festival: Day 2 highlights, David Morgan, Jan 30, 2021.
“Nielsson's camera captures the air of paranoia that is (justifiably) felt by Chamisa and his opposition party, as well as the beatings and indiscriminate gunfire laid down by security forces against protesters, and the legal machinations of the ruling party-stacked electoral commission. And there's nothing that gives confidence in open government like a presidential spokesperson telling a gathering of journalists, "We will not harm you."“
INDIE WIRE
Hidden Gems and Big Surprises from the Sundance 2021 Lineup, from Tearjerkers to ‘WTF Movies’, Eric Kohn, Dec 15, 2021.
SCREEN DAILY
Fifteen acquisition titles to look out for at Sundance 2021, Jeremy Kay, Jan 27, 2021.
“An intimate chronicle of electioneering in Zimbabwe as young opposition leader Nelson Chamisa challenges Emmerson Mnangagwa from the ruling ZANU PF party in the African nation’s first elections since dictator Robert Mugabe was ousted in a military coup.”
LOS ANGELES TIMES
24 must-see movies from the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, Jan 28, 2021.
“Packed campaign rallies, dishonest tactics, contested ballots, corrupt officials, angry crowds: Camilla Nielsson’s gripping blow-by-blow documentary may have you thinking about events even beyond Zimbabwe’s intensely fraught 2018 general election.”
SIGHT AND SOUND
Sundance Film Festival 2021 blog, Sophie Brown, Feb 2, 2021.
“The film grants the narrative space to unfold without artificially heightening any drama, bearing witness to a story that offers a direct and often terrifying view of the cost of democracy”.
SLASH FILM
‘President’ Review: An Eye-Opening Chronicle of Zimbabwe’s Harrowing Struggle for True Democracy [Sundance 2021], Ethan Anderton, Jan 30, 2021.
“Don’t worry if you’re not familiar with anything that has happened in the Zimbabwe political scene, because Camilla Nielsson does a thorough job of filling you in on the details you need to know in order to fully understand how important the 2018 elections were”.
THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
'President': Film Review | Sundance 2021, Deborah Young, Feb 2, 2021.
“Being all about stolen elections, President has an extraordinary topicality”
“Like its predecessor, President exudes a passion for politics that corrals viewers into the relatively uncharted political territory of Africa”.
CINEUROPA
Review: President, Marta Balaga, Feb 2, 2021.
"Nielsson shows that in politics, a happy ending is really just the beginning. And that democracy needs to be built, steadily, as for some, the old ways will always be much more appealing”.
FILMMAKER MAGAZINE
Sundance Critic’s Notebook #2 (Steve Dollar): Jockey, Human Factors and President, Steve Dollar, Feb 4, 2021.
“Nielsson’s film will rattle emotions anew with its vigorous and detailed chronicle of a stolen election – a violent and maddening parallel to what could have happened here, and nearly did”.
“The timing could not be more relevant to drop President on American audiences…”
POV MAGAZINE
Sundance Documentary Report: Part 6, Feb 4, 2021.
“Camilla Nielsson’s patiently told, extremely effective President provides a unique and powerful examination of the electoral situation in Zimbabwe.… With impressive access and a keen eye.”
THE FILM STAGE
Sundance Review: President is a Disturbing and Essential Look at Democracy in Inaction, John Fink, Feb 4, 2021.
“The result is a stunning work of deep journalism that proves just how fragile and messy democracy can be.”
GOOMBA STOMP
Sundance 2021: President Thoroughly Documents Zimbabwe’s 2018 Election, Cristopher Cross, Jan 29, 2021.
“PRESIDENT sets the stage for one of the most gripping documentaries”
ALTERNATE ENDING
The 2021 Sundance Film Festival, Tim Brayton, Jan 30, 2021.
“The mixture of human drama and political manoeuvring is faultless throughout the film”:
THAT SHELF
Sundance 2021: President Review, Shane Slater, Jan 31, 2021.
“Nielsson’s unflinching camera keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole way”.
BACKSEAT MAFIA
SUNDANCE REVIEW: PRESIDENT, Rob Aldam, Jan 30, 2021.
“PRESIDENT is a remarkable piece of investigative filmmaking.”
“It’s a fascinating insight into the political shenanigans that have consistently thwarted Zimbabwe’s attempts to change for the better.”
CINEVUE
SUNDANCE 2021: PRESIDENT REVIEW, Matthew Anderson, Jan 30, 2021.
“Nielsson’s latest film displays a powerful force for change, and just how important the fight for true democracy remains in Zimbabwe and all over the world.”