Niger ’66

Director: Judy Irola
Category: Ethnicities; Education
Total Running Time: 75 min.
Release Date: 2010
Website: http://www.niger66.com

Synopsis

In the summer of 1966, a group of 65 idealistic young American Peace Corps volunteers headed for Africa and landed in the dusty, heat-scorched desert of Niger. They stayed for two years working in agriculture, digging wells and starting health clinics for women and their babies. In 2008 five of the volunteers returned to Niger to revisit the country, see old friends and witness how the work of the volunteers had improved the lives of the people there. The documentary also explores the culture shock of re-entry into the US in the turmoil of 1968 and how the volunteers’ experience in Africa influenced their future work.

This film documents a diplomacy program of Americans trying to do good, share their expertise and improve the lives of citizens in less developed nations. Despite the occasional ambivalence from the Americans and skepticism from the people of Niger about the effectiveness of the program, the film does underscore two American traits: volunteerism and philanthropy.

Trailer

About the Filmmaker

After serving two years in the Peace Corps in Niger, JUDY IROLA returned to San Francisco, where she went to work for KQED-TV’s documentary film unit. She has worked as a cinematographer for over 30 years and her films have won numerous awards. Her first feature, Northern Lights, won the Camera d’Or prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1979. In 1993 An Ambush of Ghosts garnered her the Cinematography Award, Dramatic Competition, at the Sundance Film Festival. She has photographed 17 independent feature films and more than 40 documentaries throughout the world.

In 1995 Irola was the third woman to be invited to become a member of the prestigious American Society of Cinematographers (ASC). In 1997 she was the recipient of Kodak’s Vision Award. She is a Full Professor and holds the Conrad Hall Chair in Cinematography at University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. She is also the Head of Cinematography and Chair of the Full Faculty. In 2005 Irola began producing and directing. Her first documentary, Cine Manifest, premiered at the Mill Valley Film Festival in 2006 and went on to screen at numerous festivals around the world, winning several awards along the way. Niger ’66: A Peace Corps Diary is Irola’s second documentary.