Emil Langballe and Lukasz Konopa’s unsettling documentary Theatre of Violence delves into the trial of Dominic Ongwen. He was just nine years old when the Lord Resistance Army terrorist group abducted him and killed his parents.
Joseph Kony’s guerrilla group then brainwashed the boy and forced him to kill others. Thirty years later, Ongwen surrendered to the authorities and stood accused of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
The picture, which had its world-premier at CPH:DOX earlier this year, was screened on Monday at Malmo’s Nordisk Panorama.
“Lukasz [Konopa] and I went to the same film school in the UK", Langballe tells The National, "and we’ve always been interested in making something together since we share the same ideas and filmmaking values. Then I was in Uganda in 2016 as a photographer shooting a Danish documentary series about the civil war and I heard about Ongwen’s trial when it was about to start,”.
Langballe and Konopa were fascinated by Ongwen’s “dual status of victim and perpetrator,” but they were also curious to find out more about why some Ugandans were critical of the way the trial was conducted by the ICC.
“Back then, my friend worked as a teacher in a film school [in Uganda]. He also heard about the trial, so we started to discuss it and suggested the idea of approaching ICC to make a film about it.”
When asked how they managed to structure their work on such a broad subject and give it a coherent, intelligible form, Langballe says: “It took a lot of effort. First of all, we had thousands of hours of archive footage provided by the ICC. They record every trial with eight cameras. Then we went to Uganda to hear what locals thought about the case and talked to some of the parties involved in it, including Ongwen’s family members.”
“We had five shooting trips, and in between those we’ve been trying to piece the film together by writing and editing. It has been an on-going process, and we went through three stages of editing. We also played around the contrast between The Hague and Uganda, how these two very different worlds collided.”
Langballe reveals they got in touch with Krispus Ayena, Ongwen’s main defence lawyer, by pure chance. “We rang the ICC and the receptionist told us he was just walking past the desk.”
The receptionist handed the phone over to Ayena, who told them: “I understand why you’re fascinated about the case, and I am too. You should come to The Hague as soon as you can. “
Ayena, a former Ugandan MP, is a victim himself, as he had family members abducted by the LRA. “But he also believes in the idea of restorative justice. He also had a great knowledge of the history of Uganda so we didn’t want to use him much as a protagonist but merely as a ‘guide’ to walk through this very complex story,” says Langballe.
It took a year and a half for Langballe and Konopa to gain access to the prosecution team within the ICC premises. “Access was still very limited, so all the scenes we shot ended up being in the final cut, ” he says.
Other challenges the creative duo faced included moving safely around Uganda with the help of locals and consultants on the ground and hiding the identity of some of the people involved in the trial: “We had to find workarounds. For instance, at some point you can hear the voice of one of the witnesses and then we only show the reaction shots of the people who are listening to her.”
Throughout the film, Ayena stresses the idea that “the White men and the Western world” should understand that “there is a problem in Uganda” and that Ongwen and the community he lived in belonged to "a pre-industrialised world” – suggesting these two elements are of primary importance when it comes to judging his crimes.
Commenting on Ayena’s statements, Langballe highlights how hard it must have been for “judges coming from totally different backgrounds” to handle this case, and for them to realise what Ongwen went through and how he was indoctrinated and turned into a killing machine by the LRA.
“Of course, I sympathise with the victims. But I’m very ambiguous about the whole case, and whether Ongwen should be found guilty or not. I can’t help but think we’re dealing with someone who is a victim too, who was kidnapped at the age of 9 and then kept prisoner for so many years,” he says.
“Looking at what he went through, I don’t think he can be a normally functioning [human being]. He must have suffered from it, and there’s a difference between being guilty and being held responsible, in some way. I think it’s difficult holding him responsible because he was kidnapped and indoctrinated at such a young age. That’s the big question [the film left me with]: Can we as a society just punish him?”
In 2021, the ICC sentenced Ongwen to 25 years in prison.
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
Haircare resolutions 2021
From Beirut and Amman to London and now Dubai, hairstylist George Massoud has seen the same mistakes made by customers all over the world. In the chair or at-home hair care, here are the resolutions he wishes his customers would make for the year ahead.
1. 'I will seek consultation from professionals'
You may know what you want, but are you sure it’s going to suit you? Haircare professionals can tell you what will work best with your skin tone, hair texture and lifestyle.
2. 'I will tell my hairdresser when I’m not happy'
Massoud says it’s better to offer constructive criticism to work on in the future. Your hairdresser will learn, and you may discover how to communicate exactly what you want more effectively the next time.
3. ‘I will treat my hair better out of the chair’
Damage control is a big part of most hairstylists’ work right now, but it can be avoided. Steer clear of over-colouring at home, try and pursue one hair brand at a time and never, ever use a straightener on still drying hair, pleads Massoud.
TV: World Cup Qualifier 2018 matches will be aired on on OSN Sports HD Cricket channel
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
The five pillars of Islam
Real Madrid 1
Ronaldo (87')
Athletic Bilbao 1
Williams (14')
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFirst%20match%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENovember%2020%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFinal%2016%20round%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDecember%203%20to%206%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EQuarter-finals%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDecember%209%20and%2010%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESemi-finals%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDecember%2013%20and%2014%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFinal%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDecember%2018%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
The%20Sandman
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Omar Yabroudi's factfile
Born: October 20, 1989, Sharjah
Education: Bachelor of Science and Football, Liverpool John Moores University
2010: Accrington Stanley FC, internship
2010-2012: Crystal Palace, performance analyst with U-18 academy
2012-2015: Barnet FC, first-team performance analyst/head of recruitment
2015-2017: Nottingham Forest, head of recruitment
2018-present: Crystal Palace, player recruitment manager
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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At a glance
- 20,000 new jobs for Emiratis over three years
- Dh300 million set aside to train 18,000 jobseekers in new skills
- Managerial jobs in government restricted to Emiratis
- Emiratis to get priority for 160 types of job in private sector
- Portion of VAT revenues will fund more graduate programmes
- 8,000 Emirati graduates to do 6-12 month replacements in public or private sector on a Dh10,000 monthly wage - 40 per cent of which will be paid by government
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How to increase your savings
- Have a plan for your savings.
- Decide on your emergency fund target and once that's achieved, assign your savings to another financial goal such as saving for a house or investing for retirement.
- Decide on a financial goal that is important to you and put your savings to work for you.
- It's important to have a purpose for your savings as it helps to keep you motivated to continue while also reducing the temptation to spend your savings.
- Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
The five pillars of Islam
The specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: nine-speed
Power: 542bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: Dh848,000
On sale: now
The specs: 2018 Maxus T60
Price, base / as tested: Dh48,000
Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinder
Power: 136hp @ 1,600rpm
Torque: 360Nm @ 1,600 rpm
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Fuel consumption, combined: 9.1L / 100km
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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The years Ramadan fell in May
THE DEALS
Hamilton $60m x 2 = $120m
Vettel $45m x 2 = $90m
Ricciardo $35m x 2 = $70m
Verstappen $55m x 3 = $165m
Leclerc $20m x 2 = $40m
TOTAL $485m
