Wednesday, February 3, 2010

"Music by Prudence," story of musicians with disabilities from Zimbabwe, receives Oscar nomination

I told you about this musical group January 2009. Congrats on the musical group and the producers for the documentary's nomination! (Thanks to the This is Zimbabwe blog for the tip.)

Here's info from Music by Prudence Web site:


"Music by Prudence" – a documentary. Zimbabwean singer songwriter Prudence Mabhena (pictured), age twenty-one, was born severely disabled into a society where disabilities carry the taint of witchcraft; she is more likely to spend her life hidden away in a tiny hut than on a stage in the center of a city. Her story is the story of many of the disabled kids of Africa, a story of abandonment and abuse. But Prudence and her seven young band members, all disabled, have managed to overcome stereotypes and inspire the same people that once saw them as a curse.

HBO Documentary Films picked up Music by Prudence for distribution, and recently the film has been shortlisted for the Academy Awards for Best Documentary Short.

MUSIC BY PRUDENCE (2010) · USA/Zimbabwe · 32:30 minutes · director: Roger Ross Williams · cinematography: Errol Webber, Derek Wiesehahn · film editor: Geeta Gandbhir · music producer: Ted Mason · producer: iThemba Productions Inc./Roger Ross Williams · co-producer: Patrick Wright · distributor: Home Box Office (HBO).