The ArtPrize Experience

As South Africa celebrates its 20Th anniversary of the advent of democracy in 1994, it's hard to believe that the 'Mandela Miracle' nearly didn't happen. In an orgy of countrywide violence, some were intent on derailing the first free elections. Now for the first time, those responsible for countless deaths and widespread mayhem explain how they nearly brought South Africa to its knees. 1994 is a chilling look at what these hard men did to thwart democracy and how they have made an uneasy peace with the 'Rainbow Nation' in their own different ways.

Set in Manipur, a conflict region on the remote India- Burma border, this film journeys across a century to paint a portrait of a cinema and its citizens. The encounters - real, fake and surreal, are not for the fainthearted but there is good food and chatter on the go.

In 2001, the Taliban government of Afghanistan destroyed the Buddhas of Bamiyan, the world's tallest stone sculptures. By the summer of 2002, after the fall of the Taliban, more than 250 Afghans, most of them Hazara refugees, were living in caves beside the rubble. This film, organized chronologically over four seasons, follows a refugee family living there, including Mir, a smiling lad of eight. The landscape is stark, the winter is harsh, the refugees' stories are harrowing, Mir's school is crowded and ill equipped, helicopters move across the sky, and the roads carry mostly military vehicles, yet Mir's family hopes for a house and a bright future.

Healing Waters is a documentary film which tells the uplifting and compelling story of Project Healing Waters. The group is a non-profit organization started at Walter Reed during the height of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts that contributes to the emotional and physical rehabilitation of our Wounded Warriors through fly fishing activities and outings. The film profiles participants and the life changing impact the program has had on their recovery as well as the history and success of Project Healing Waters as it has spread to over 130 VA facilities across the U.S.

Women Warriors: A Vision of Valor is a film made by the Multimedia Graphic Design department at Front Range Community College. This documentary covers the evolution of women's roles in the US military, with an emphasis on the wars between WWII and the current War on Terrorism. We have collected the stories of ten Colorado women veterans and have weaved in narration, video and animation to create a powerful and educational view of our military women throughout history.

Over six years, BURIED ABOVE GROUND tells the stories of three Americans battling the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - an Iraq War veteran; a Hurricane Katrina evacuee; and a child abuse and domestic violence survivor.