Cizalia

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Synopsis

I always knew I had an elder sister who lived in Mozambique but I had never met her. Cizalia was separated from my mother when she was just two and when my mother and I emigrated from South Africa to the UK, we lost touch with her. After 24 years of separation, a family friend found Cizalia. This film traces my journey to meet her for the first time as well as a very unexpected reunion with another of my relatives.

A word from the filmmaker:

The Grierson documentary mentoring scheme has already provided me with an opportunity to reconnect with my family in South Africa and to meet my sister. I have faced the task of filming what has been a challenging and emotional journey for me, whilst at the same time testing my capabilities as a filmmaker.

Working with my mentor has given me the confidence to overcome some of the difficulties I have experienced in making the film. I hope that the scheme enables me to continue to develop my confidence and skills in filmmaking and to continue to make films that are challenging to both me and the audience.

Eric Sithole, biography

Eric was born in Johannesburg, South Africa before emigrating to the UK when he was 12 and settling in Kettering, Northamptonshire. His interest in media began when some journalists visited his township to document the growth of his school. This gave him his first experience of filmmaking. Having completed a BTEC in Media Studies at Tresham College, Kettering, he got a job at Currys and began to do some volunteering at the local youth centre he attended. As part of his volunteering, he was able to use his media skills and lead on community based media and filming projects at the centre. He now has a job at the youth centre as a youth worker delivering sessions on photography and film. He also works on community-based projects, ranging from designing booklets to producing short issue based films with groups of young people.

A word from mentor, Kim Longinotto:

"It has been such a delight working with Eric. He has been conscientious, resourceful and good-humoured throughout the whole process. I’ve been especially impressed by how flexible he has been when things have gone wrong. He has dealt with every disappointment and setback – and his has been a very challenging film to make - with courage and grace. He has thought up solutions on his feet and always been generous and good-natured. I think he’s an absolute star."