Genre
Synopsis
For generations, one question echoed through filmmaker Desiree Meiffret’s family: “Find your German family.”
Both her great grandparents were from colonial-era sexual violence during German rule in Namibia, Desiree’s great-grandmother spent her life searching for the father she never knew. Decades later, that longing still lives within the family. As her grandmother and great-aunts grow older, Desiree begins documenting their memories before they are lost, following fragments of stories, mispronounced names, colonial records, and family folklore in search of answers.
What begins as an investigation into her own ancestry becomes a deeply personal exploration of memory, identity, belonging, and the emotional afterlife of colonialism. Through intimate family conversations, archival research, and a journey across Namibia and beyond, THE NAME WE COULDN'T PRONOUNCE examines how histories of violence and erasure continue to shape generations long after the events themselves have passed.
At its heart, the film is a search for family, for recognition, and for a name that may have been lost to history.
Bio
Desiree Kahikopo-Meiffret – Producer/Director
Desiree is an Award-winning producer/director from Namibia. Desiree's participation in the Namibian film and theatre industry spans over 12 years as a performer, actress, creative director as well as playwright. She produced, wrote and directed a theatre play titled' A Lifetime of Blues' that won best set design at the Namibian Film and Theatre Awards 2014. She has worked on countless film sets including 'Fish Out of Water' as a Line Producer by the well-known Namibian filmmaker Vickson Hangula.
Desiree’s award winning debut film titled 'The White Line'has premiered and screened at various international film festivals across the globe and has went on to win Best newcomer director for Desiree and best film script and the Audience choice award at the Namibia Theatre and Film 2019 and went on to win Best cinematographer and Best Feature Film at the 7th African Emerging Filmmakers Award 2019 in Durban, The White Line also got a special jury mention at the 9th Luxor African Film Festival 2020 in Egypt for its direction and won the Kilimanjoro award for Best Feature film in Toulouse, France at the Africlap film festival 2020.
An alumna of Talents Durban 2018, Desiree was recently nominated Best first film by a director at the Africa MovieAcademy Awards 2020 (AMAA). “The White Line” is Namibia’s first film to be submitted to the Oscars 2022 and the Golden Globes.
Desiree with her Namibian company called DEVIne Film Productions facilitated a
Netflix production titled “Fiesta en la Madriguera” that was partly filmed in Namibia of which she was the Namibian Producer on it in 2023.
Desiree also sponsored and executive produced a short film by a young Namibian filmmaker called “Metamorphorsis” by Monika Amunyela, as well as produced a pilot titled “Windhoek City” in optioning stage. Recently directed and produced a short film titled “When the world broke open” in post-production stage.
