Charcoal Traffic wins Best Short Fiction Award!

is a short story of two brothers trapped in a murderous cycle of environmental and cultural devastation in Somalia.

Charcoal Traffic is a global first:

• Charcoal Traffic is the world's first short fictional film based on Somali pastoral culture.

• Charcoal Traffic was shot entirely on location in northern Somalia under very challenging conditions due to almost 20 years of civil war.

• Charcoal Traffic has an all Somali local cast with no previous acting experience.

• Charcoal Traffic is in Somali with English subtitles.

Charcoal Traffic was directed by Nathan Collett, assisted by Godfrey Ojiambo, and co-produced by international award winning environmentalist, Fatima Jibrell with James Lindsay, co-founder of Sun Fire Cooking. Godfrey Ojiambo, resident of Kibera and trustee of Hot Sun Foundation, travelled with Nathan Collett to Somalia to film Charcoal Traffic.

The ‘Best Short Fiction Award’ will be presented to Charcoal Traffic during the VideoFest in San Francisco, California, October 17-18, 2008. Charcoal Traffic has been selected and screened at 19 international film festivals around the world.

* To interview Godfrey Ojiambo or Nathan Collett about their experiences in Somalia or for more information, contact SANTA MUKABANAH, Hot Sun Foundation Communications Officer, [email][email protected] or visit http://www.charcoaltraffic.com/ and http://kiberakid.blogspot.com

* Please send comments to [email protected] or comment online at http://www.pambazuka.org/