Alexis MacDonald, Director of External Relations for the Stephen Lewis Foundation introduces tonight’s film, Life, Above All, the stunning adaptation of Allan Stratton’s best-selling 2004 novel Chanda’s Secrets.
Shortlisted for this year’s Academy Awards® as South Africa’s official entry, Life Above All tells the story of an African family torn apart by the AIDS pandemic.
Khomotso Manyaka plays ‘Chanda’, a young girl in a small, AIDS-ravaged South African township who struggles to maintain a façade of normal life amidst utter instability: her stepfather is an alcoholic, her newborn sister has recently died, and her mother has become afflicted with the AIDS virus. When Chanda’s mother’s illness becomes openly apparent, the community turns against the family, interpreting it as a form of retribution for their sins.
To purchase tickets for tonight’s screening of Life, Above All phone 416-599-TIFF (8433) or 1-888-599-8433. Tickets can also be purchased, in person, at TIFF Bell Lightbox Box Office, Reitman Square, 350 King Street West, Toronto.
