Hubert Sauper set out for Africa again. This time on a selfmade airplane headed for Sudan at a time where the continent’s
largest country prepared for the separation into two independent nations. WE COME AS FRIENDS is a disquieting mosaic about
a sensitive point of the world where economical and imperialistic interests meet national political and religious power struggles,
humanitarian ambitions and a local population deprived of its fundamental rights. After its European premiere at the Berlinale,
WE COME AS FRIENDS was awarded the Peace Film Prize 2014.
WE COME AS FRIENDS directed by Hubert Sauper (KGP Kranzelbinder Gabriele Production (A), Adelante Films (F))
A modern odyssey, a dizzying, science fiction-like journey into the the heart of Africa. At the moment when the Sudan, the
continent’s biggest country, is being divided into two nations, an old ‘civilizing’ pathology re-emerges -
that of colonialism, clash of empires, and yet new episodes of bloody (and holy) wars over land and resources.
The director of DARWIN’S NIGHTMARE takes us on this voyage in his tiny, self-made flying machine out of tin and canvas,
he leads us into most improbable locations and into people’s thoughts and dreams, in both stunning and heartbreaking
ways. Chinese oil workers, UN peacekeepers, Sudanese warlords, and American evangelists ironically weave common ground in
this documentary.
International sales: Le pacte
The Peace Film Prize 2014 jury statement
The Austrian filmmaker Hubert Sauper takes his selfmade airplane to Africa, into the epicenter of a conflict: Sudan. Whenever
he touches down, he meets people who represent the major players in situations exemplary to the continent. What seems to be
down-right interference at first sight is turned into an important artistic tool offering surprising insight into the turmoils
of Africa.
All of them are aliens: the evangelical US-American preacher, the Chinese oil producers, even the film maker himself. All
of them meet with representatives of the local elite. They eagerly hope for foreign investors. And they all meet the Sudanese,
many of them living under dire conditions. This movie with its love for detailed observation inspires our curiosity. It shows
how infallibly the mistakes of the colonial past are being repeated today.
This film comes at the right time. Africa is being rediscovered by German foreign and security policy. Our “freedom”
will soon not only be defended at the Hindukush but also beyond the Sahara. And therefore accidentally the access to natural
resources: (But of course: ) we “come as friends”…
www.wecomeasfriends.com
