When Robert Mugabe was removed from power, Zimbabwe military leaders promised they would not seize control for themselves but would ensure democracy in a national election. Against a backdrop of economic crisis, food shortages, and political violence, the stakes could not be higher. Working to defeat the ruling party, the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), which has controlled Zimbabwe since independence, is the young and charismatic Nelson Chamisa and the opposition, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Alliance. After decades of a corrupt group clinging to power using any tool available-legal or not-can a free, fair, and transparent election be truly possible?

As the follow-up to her widely acclaimed 2014 documentary DEMOCRATS, Camilla Nielsson brings viewers into the heart of the struggle for power with stunningly close access and unhesi- tating courage, in a nation closely monitored by the entire world. President is a riveting and epic reminder that, while individuals and their specific ideals may differ, the fight for democracy is never-ending and of profound significance everywhere.

starring
Nelson Chamisa

a film by Camilla NIELSSON

Denmark/USA/Norway, 2021, Feature Documentary, 1h55 min

Production Year: 2021
Production Countries: Denmark/USA/Norway
Duration: 115 min
Audio: English & Shona
Subtitles: English

DIRECTOR'S NOTES
It was not in the cards for me to make the film PRESIDENT. My previous film DEMOCRATS (2014) had been banned by Zimbabwe's Censorship Board with the curt assessment ‘Banned and prohibited in Zimbabwe. Not suitable for showing to the public.' Ironically, the ban was in direct contravention with the country's new democratic constitution, which DEMOCRATS had followed the making of for more than 3 years.

In the process of filming DEMOCRATS, I had met some of Zimbabwe's finest lawyers. They suggested that the ban should be challenged on the basis that it violated the constitutionally protected freedom of expression, and the public's right to information. Together we began the legal challenge to have the ban lifted, and without knowing, this process became the starting point for this new film PRESIDENT.

In February 2018, following a 3-year legal battle in the Zimbabwean courts, a High Court judge finally ruled that the ban be lifted, and people were free to watch the film in the country where it matters most. It was during a dinner in Harare in celebration of the court ruling that one of the protagonists from the first film suggested to me to make the sequel. President Mugabe had fallen in a military coup just months before, and the democratic space seemed to have opened, and there was a new sense of freedom in the country. With the fall of dictator Robert Mugabe, a new constitutional democracy was on the horizon, and it seemed that now was the time for the people of Zimbabwe to make a push for democracy that would overcome the tragic and unhappy events that were portrayed in the first film.

I won't spoil the plot here, but I hope that PRESIDENT will make the audiences think about the universal importance of having independent democratic institutions, and proper checks and balances on presidential powers. It is a film about the dire consequences that happens if these democratic principles are not observed and not in place.
- Camilla Nielsson


Reviews & Quotes

"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."
A.O. Scott, The New York Times

"outstanding, gripping, necessary... One of the year's best nonfiction films." "'President' is in-the-moment documentary storytelling of the highest order"
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times

"Intimate... Thrilling.... Riveting"
Phuong Lee, The Guardian

"Zimbabwe needs this film like a body needs oxygen. It has the potential to save lives, liberate the oppressed, and discover truths. There is no better purpose for filmmaking, than this."
Thandiwe Newton, quoted in Variety

"Riveting. Nielsson's galvanizing, epic-scale docuthriller..."
"Rather like Frederick Wiseman, Nielsson has a knack for excavating savage drama from administrative process and politesse...Filmed with astonishing in-the-moment access."
Guy Lodge, Variety

"A thrilling, enraging film, and its intimate access...is extraordinary."
Alissa Wilkinson, Vox

"A devastating, heartened report of democracy in peril against a dictator."
Robert Daniels, RogerEbert.com

"A remarkable story of bravery and determination against daunting odds
in Zimbabwe's first "free and fair" elections...Chilling."
Finnuala Halligan, Screen Daily

PRODUCERS
Signe Byrge Sørensen (Final Cut for Real, Denmark)
Joslyn Barnes (Louverture Films, USA)

CO-PRODUCERS
Anne Köhncke (Final Cut for Real Norway, Norway)
Anita Rehoff Larsen (Sant & Usant, Norway)

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
Thandiwe Newton
Danny Glover (Louverture Films, USA)
Susan Rockefeller (Louverture Films, USA)
Tone Grøttjord-Glenne (Sant & Usant, Norway)
Sabine Bubeck-Paaz
Mandy Chang

DIRECTOR
Camilla Nielsson

CINEMATOGRAPHER
Henrik Bohn Ipsen

EDITOR
Jeppe Bødskov

PRODUCTION SOUND
Camilla Nielsson

COMPOSER
Jonas Bjerre

SOUND DESIGNER
Håkon Lammetun

SOUND MIXER
Thomas Jæger

COLORIST
Tom Chr. Lilletvedt

COLOUR GRADE CONSULTANT (Visual Consultant)
Anders V. Christensen

POST PRODUCER
Francesc Sitges-Sardà

TRANSLATORS
Anonymous
Anonymous
Anonymous
Anonymous

GRAPHIC DESIGN
Anders Huulgaard

ARCHIVAL RESEARCHER
Anonymous
Gail Behrmann

DRIVER & SECURITY
Anonymous

FIXER
Anonymous

RE-RECORDING MIXER
Håkon Lammetun

DIALOGUE EDITOR
Matias Frøystad

SOUND EFFECTS EDITOR
Yvonne Stenberg

ADDITIONAL MUSIC
Jonas Colstrup
Kristian Selin Eidnes Andersen

ADDITIONAL CAMERA
Anonymous
Anonymous
Anonymous
Anonymous

ADDITIONAL RECORDINGS
Bruno Amakiri
Joseph Yamoah

ARCHIVAL RESEARCHER
Anonymous
Gail Behrmann

ADDITIONAL SOUND RECORDINGS
Anonymous
Anonymous
Anonymous
Anonymous
Anonymous
Anonymous
Banthata Mokgoatsane
Modou AK Njie
Nafisa Osman

ASSISTANT EDITORS
Mauricio Gonzalez-Aranda
Waltteri Vanhanen

SOUND ASSISTANT
Maar Falke Dollerup

ONLINE ASSISTANTS
Soheil Flumme Ozlati
Sune Kiefer

EDITING CONSULTANTS
Janus Billeskov Jansen
Jesper Jack
Per K. Kirkegaard
Niels Pagh Andersen

ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS
Anonymous
Maria Kristensen

PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS
Megumi Arita
Aiobhe Jessen
Chiara Liberti
Anna Duelund Hansen
Stine Møldrup Sørensen
Sonia Ladidà
Susanna Azevedo
Jonathan Sampson
Barbara Crvelin
Tora Jensen
Frederikke Møller Helvad

DI MANAGER
Joakim Hauge Vocke

OFFICE MANAGER, HINTERLAND
Oddleiv Vik

LEGAL COUNSEL, FINAL CUT FOR REAL
Katrine Schlüter Schierbeck

ACCOUNTANT, LOUVERTURE FILMS
Sarisa Middleton

INSURANCE
Christopher Saks, Media Insurance Brokers
Vivi Hannibal, AIG

LEGAL COUNSEL, LOUVERTURE FILMS
Sasha Levites, Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz

ACCOUNTANTS, FINAL CUT FOR REAL
Korthe Barfod Lund
Gitte Randløv

SECURITY ADVISOR
Jens Serup

TRAILER EDITOR
Theis Schmidt

TRAILER SOUND
Rasmus Winther Jensen

TRAILER COLOR GRADE
Anders V. Christensen

SALES REPRESENTATION / NORTH AMERICA
Submarine Entertainment
Josh Braun
Dan Braun
Ben Braun
Matt Burke
Ben Schwartz

PUBLIC RELATIONS
Cinetic Media
Ryan Werner
Layla Hancock-Piper

WORLD SALES
Cinephil
Philippa Kowarsky
Olivier Tournaud
Noa Levy
Shoshi Korman

ARCHIVE CLIPS
SABC - Duma-Sandile Mboni
ScreenOcean Reuters - Hanna Davies
ENCA - Carmen Whitcher
BBC
Al Jazeera
Anonymous
Getty - Gard Rystad
AP - James W. Kearney
ZBC
CGNT
World Economic Forum
Anonymous

In Memory of
Brian Zhuwao
Challenge Tauro
Gavin Charles Dean
Ismail Kumire
Jealous Chakandira
Sylvia Matambo
Patson Dzmara

The filmmakers acknowledge with gratitude the courage of all the Zimbabweans who chose to take part in the making of this film

A very special thanks to all those cinematographers who shared their footage from the events of August 1st, 2018 with us.

THIS PROJECT WAS PITCHED AT
NORDISK FORUM
IDFA:FORUM
CPH:DOX FORUM

THANK YOU TO THE INTERNATIONAL ELECTION OBSERVERS
Former Liberian President and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
Former Interim President of the Central African Republic Catherine Samba-Panza. U.S. Former U.S. Assistant Secretaries of State for African Affairs Ambassador Johnnie Carson NDI Senior Associate and Director of Electoral Programs Patrick Merloe
IRI Regional Director John Tomaszewski
Congresswoman Karen Bass
Constance Berry Newman
Elmar Brok, The European Union

SPECIAL THANKS
African Screen Network
Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe
PACT
Producentforeningen

THANK YOU
Adriek van Nieuwenhuijzen
Aiylin Elci
André Singer
Angelique Brook
Anita Nayar
Anonymous
Anonymous
Beathe Hofseth
Cara Mertes
Caroline Johansson
Carrie Lozano
Cecilie Aclon
Charles Paradzai Mutengwa
Chi-hui Yang
Dana Merwin
Dali Mpofu
Emma Mørup
Frank Piasecki Poulsen
Hayley Reynolds
Heidi Elise Christensen
Helle Lilienfeldt
Henrik Moltke
Hollie Gibson
Hopewell Chin'ono
Ida Høyer Bom
Inge Kastoft
Jakob Kirstein Høgel
Jeremy Gaunlet
Joshua Oppenheimer
Karsten Fundal
Kathrine Larney
Lars Michael Reiff
Lise Løwholm
Lone Hey
Mads Mikkelsen
Marina Nielsen
Martin Dennis
Monica Hellström
Niklas Engstrøm
Peter Tygesen
Rebecca Lichtenfeld
Rhona Walker
Sarah D'hanens
Sidsel Filipsen
Simon Kilmurry
Sofie Lykke Stenstrop
Sonja Henrici
Steven Markovitz
Søren Tarp
Tabitha Jackson
Tamsin Ranger
Tembeka Ngcukaitobi
Theodore Braun
Tomas Martin
Thomas Ravn Petersen
Tine Fischer
Tony Tabatznik
Veerle Egbers
Yorinde Segal

PRODUCTION COMPANIES
Final Cut for Real (DK)
Louverture Films (US)
Sant & Usant (NO)
BBC Storyville
ZDF Arte

Produced in collaboration with
DR - Anders Bruus
VPRO - Nathalie Windhorst,
SVT - Axel Arnö & Charlotte Madsen
NRK - Fredrik Færden
ERR

Supported by
Danish Film Institute - Film Commissioner Anders Riis Hansen
Norwegian Film Institute - Film Commissioner Helle Hansen
Nordisk Film & Tv Fond - Senior Advisor Documentary Karolina Lidin International Media Support - Rasmus Steen & Henrik Underbjerg
IDA Enterprise Documentary Fund
Creative Europe - The Media Programme of the European Union Danida
Fritt
Ord Foundation
Bertha Foundation
Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program

With support from
Open Society Foundations

WORLD SALES
Cinephil
info@cinephil.com
Tel: +972 3 566 4129
www.cinephil.com


CONTACTS

Publicity (US)
Adam J. Segal of The 2050 Group
Tel: +1 212-642-4317, adam@the2050group.com

World Sales & Festivals:
Cinephil

info@cinephil.com
Tel: +972 3 566 4129
www.cinephil.com

Production Company
Final Cut for Real
Copenhagen, Denmark
Tel: +45 35436043
info@final-cut.dk
www.finalcutforreal.dk

Official Pages:
www.presidentdoc.dk
www.facebook.com/presidentdoc


Awards & Nominations
Sundance Film Festival 2021, US
Special Jury Award for Cinema Verité Filmmaking
Docville International Documentary Film Festival 2021, Belgium
Jury Prize in the ConScience Competition
Encounters International Documentary Film Festival 2021, South Africa
Best International Feature Documentary
É Tudo Verdade / It's All True 2021, Brazil
Best Documentary in the International Competition
DMZ, South Korea
Special Jury Award
Gotham Awards
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature
Cinema Eye Honors
Nominated for Outstanding Production

Current Screenings
UK - BERTHA DOC HOUSE, London /// www.dochouse.org
US - MoMA, New York (online) /// www.moma.org
US - Kinema (online + in person) /// www.kinema.com

Film Festival Screenings
Sundance Film Festival, USA (World Premiere)
CPH:DOX, Denmark
Movies That Matter, The Netherlands
DOK.Fest München, Germany
One World Int. Human Rights Film Festival, Czech Republic
Thessaloniki Int. Film Festival, Greece
AFI Docs, USA
Biografilm Festival, Italy
Iceland Documentary Film Festival
Melbourne Int. Film Festival, Australia
Dokufest, Kosovo
IFI Documentary Festival, Ireland
Against Gravity, Poland
Lusaka International Film Festival, Zambia
Docville Int. Documentary Film Festival, Belgium
Encounters Int. Documentary Film Festival 2021, South Africa
É Tudo Verdade / It's All True, Brazil
DMZ, South Korea
Film by the Sea, The Netherlands
Zurich Film Festival, Switzerland
DocsMX, Mexico
Africa in Motion, Scotland
Bergen Int. Film Festival, Norway
Philadelphia Film Festival, USA
Montclair Film Festival, USA
Nordische Filmtage Lübeck, Germany
Sydney Film Festival, Australia
VERZIO Film Festival, Hungary
Films from the South, Norway

© Final Cut for Real, Louverture Films & Sant & Usant