"There's no such thing as personal individual freedom whilst a county is drowned in blood." — Ronnie Kasrils
"I couldn't stand bullies...I opposed every single one of the offensive apartheid laws." — Helen Suzman
Producer/Director Carolyn Projansky was inspired to make Breaking the Rules while living in South Africa from 2000-2003. As the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, she believes passionately that individuals of conscience can make a difference. Experiencing life in South Africa and studying its troubled history, Carolyn found herself wondering, “What would I have done if I had grown up in apartheid-era South Africa? Would I have stood up against the injustice or remained silent?”
Production of Breaking the Rules began in 2004 with a grant from a South African consortium of funders and continued in 2005-2007 with grants from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and individuals. In 2009, a major grant was received from the Atlantic Philanthropies to complete all production. Funds are still sought for post-production.
Distribution plans include international television broadcast and well as non-broadcast educational, festival and online distribution. We are committed to using the film and the issues it raises as the foundation for educational outreach projects such as seminars, workshops and curriculum materials for the classroom and the web. We are reaching out to NGOs internationally to use the film to examine universal concerns such as the interplay between race, identity and ideology, the role of violent and non-violent resistance and methods to achieving post-conflict reconciliation. In South Africa we are building partnerships with prominent educational institutions that can facilitate programming and dialogue on these issues.
All interview footage shot for the film will be donated to a research institution in South Africa and made fully accessible to scholars for future research.
ABOUT THE TEAM
Producer/Director/Writer — Carolyn Projansky
Carolyn has been making films since 1993 in the US, Ukraine and South Africa. From 2000-03 she lived in South Africa, studied for a masters in South African history and created an independent documentary (The Fast Lane) that aired on South African television. In the US, Projansky has produced, directed or written films for Maryland Public Television, the Smithsonian Institution, US government agencies such as USAID and Defense, and numerous corporate and nonprofit clients. She has consulted on program development (the Discovery Channel), acquisition (National Geographic Channels International) and scripting (SABC Education). Her awards include a CINE Golden Eagle, a “Chris,” (Columbus International Film Festival), a Silver “Create” and others.
Associate Producer — Samora Sekhukhune
Samora has 15 years of experience as a freelance producer, director, production manager and researcher for a wide range of documentaries, TV series, PSAs and commercial productions. She has worked in South Africa, Mozambique, Lesotho and Cote d’Ivore. She has been part of numerous award-winning teams, with productions airing on SABC, eTV, and in a variety of non-broadcast venues.
Director of Photography — Manu Lapierre
Born in Belgium, Manu relocated to South Africa in 1997. He has worked in 19 countries on nearly 200 productions—award-winning international documentaries and feature films, commercials, music videos, corporate productions and more. Manu’s recent work includes the highly acclaimed South African feature, “Jerusalema,” which won 3 awards at FESPACO 2009, screened at the Berlin film festival 2008 and was selected to represent South Africa at the Oscars.
Consulting Producer/Writer — Susan Barocas
Susan has written and produced documentary, educational and industrial projects for such clients as Discovery Communications, Maryland Public Television, US Department of Veterans Affairs, US Courts, the American Postal Workers Union and non-profit organizations. She has organized exhibits of independent film and video in cooperation with New York’s Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Broadcasting, the Smithsonian Institution and the National Museum of Women in the Arts. Susan also has directed and/or programmed numerous film festivals including the Washington Jewish Film Festival and the Women in Film and Video International Festival in Washington, DC.
