Eye - 15 November 2013

From an awarding winning film to painting appreciation

Pure gold

Beyond Forgiving, a film produced by Newbury Friend Howard Grace, has won the Golden Award for Inspiration at the International Film Festival for Peace, Inspiration and Equality (IFFPIE).

The film has also won an Award of Merit at the Best Shorts Competition 2013 and has been selected for the Peace on Earth Film Festival 2014.

Beyond Forgiving is a documentary about Ginn Fourie and Letlapa Mphahlele and how they have risen beyond their pain. In 1993, during the apartheid era in South Africa, Letlapa, then director of operations for the military wing of the Pan-Africanist Congress, ordered reprisal massacres in response to the killing of black school children. Ginn lost her only daughter in one of these. She later forgave Letlapa.

Speaking to Newbury Weekly News, Howard said: ‘We were delighted to receive this award. It is a real honour. For me it was a real privilege to be involved as it is such a precious story of hope emerging from that distressing time in history.’

In the summer, Howard reflected on their story and the process of making the film in an article for the Friend (26 July). He says: ‘In response to the article… I’ve received several invitations to facilitate film screenings, followed by discussion.

‘Quaker-hosted public events in Devizes, Alton and Abingdon have happened already and have stimulated deep and searching discussions… One person wrote several weeks later, “We are all talking about it still”.

‘Although discussion focuses on the profound experience of the protagonists, many of the comments also reflect on our everyday personal relationships and the relatively little things that we can’t let go of in our daily lives. The film is very relevant to the UK.

‘More screenings are planned in Ipswich, Newbury and Hartshill, with several others in the pipeline. Should any other Meetings be interested in hosting one they can contact me at howard.grace@uk.iofc.org.’

Nature notes

Following a recent gathering of Area Meeting clerks at Friends House, Judith Roads donned her safari hat and whipped out her notebook to take down some ‘nature notes’:

‘Spotted in the Euston area of London recently was a large flock of Area Meeting clerks, flown in from who knows where. These beautiful creatures, normally seen in isolation or as part of a non-breeding pair, were happily feeding together and chirping away with their characteristic year-round call of “is-that-acceptable, is-that-acceptable”. A delightful, though all too rare, sighting.’

Painting appreciation

During his lifetime John Perkin produced over 600 paintings, some on Quaker subjects such as ‘Meeting’ and ‘Centring down’.

Following John’s death last year, his family bequeathed over 140 of his paintings to Newbury Quakers. Friends have decided that they should be found appreciative homes so an exhibition and sale will take place on 17 November at Newbury Quaker Meeting House.

Correction

Apologies to four-year-old Sam Roycroft, who Eye incorrectly named as his three-year-old sister Rosie (pictured below) in last week’s story about his grandad John’s Quaker umbrella.

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