Teddy Leifer Interview

When you hear that EMI is distributing a film in the UK on an entirely non-profit basis, you know that there must be something very special in the pipeline. Teddy Leifer (producer of We Are Together) is brimming with pride as he tells me that in their history EMI have only ever done this twice: the first time being in 1985 for Live Aid, the second being in 2007 for the film he produced in conjunction with director Paul Taylor. We Are together (Thina Simunye) follows the life of Slindile, a twelve year old girl who lives at the Agape orphanage in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, a home for children, most of whom have lost their parents to AIDS. She is a member of the orphanage choir, which under the guidance of ‘Grandma’ Zodwa Mqadi strives to raise money by travelling to England and performing.

A documentary that features issues related to AIDS and orphans - not just any orphans, but African orphans who sing - may well be greeted with a certain degree of jaded scepticism. Thankfully We Are Together renders such concerns obsolete. This is not a contrived, over-sentimentalized documentary, but in Leifer’s words, a “brutally edited” piece which denies us an optimistic or cathartic conclusion, instead ending “on a thoughtful note,” which highlights the ongoing nature of South Africa’s struggle against AIDS.

Today Leifer has particular reason to feel proud, as the film has just picked up the coveted Standard Life Audience Award at this years Edinburgh International Film Festival. This is not the first, but in fact the fourth audience award that the documentary has scooped since its debut at the 2006 International Documentary Film Festival. When asked why he thinks it has been so popular with audiences, Leifer’s answer is simple: “it’s the amazing characters.” For anyone who has seen the film, this response makes perfect sense; the children are quite simply amazing.

Leifer feels that the film derives much of its resonance from the fact that director Paul Taylor initially lived and worked with the children of the Agape orphanage without any intention of making a film. It was only later that he and Teddy returned to make the documentary, having already established close bonds with the children.

It is this dedication and commitment to the children of the Agape orphanage which has taken the film above and beyond the average approach to documentary film making. The entire project is run on a non-profit basis, all takings going to the RISE foundation which was set up by Taylor and Leifer as an endowment fund enabling all the children at the Agape orphanage to attend private schools. They are also working in conjunction with Keep A Child Alive which, among other things, strives to provide Anti-retroviral (AVR) drugs for Sub-Saharan African’s with AIDS. This film does not stand in isolation, but rather functions as part of an ongoing project which will give these children the opportunity to create a brighter future for themselves. Leifer is adamant that education is the key: “as ‘Grandma’ Zodwa Mqadi says, ‘education liberates’.” It is this genuine commitment to the on-going nature of the project which makes this a truly special cinematic event, one which has understandably inspired many people (celebrities and public alike) to rally around it.

When asked what he ultimately wants the film to achieve Leifer is humbled: “I think it’s already gone way beyond what we expected. We want it to raise money, because the real legacy of this film is the children’s education.” It is with these words that you realise We Are Together is not a finished product, but rather a beginning.

To find out more visit www.wearetogether.org