Little Heaven
Short film Completed 2012
Director
Lieven Corthouts
Doc Society helped with
Impact
Went to Good Pitch
Runtime: 75 minutes
Right in the heart of the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa is a small orphanage called 'Little Heaven'. One of the orphans, Lydia, is 13 today. A truly joyful event, because she can now move to the ‘other house‘ where all of the ‘big kids’ live.
Unfortunately this special day is overshadowed by the shocking news delivered to her by the head nurse: Lydia is HIV positive.
The children living in the Ethiopian orphanage 'Little Heaven' are told that they have HIV on the day of their 13th birthday.
For the main character Lydia, this is without a doubt one of the most emotional events in her life, and with difficulty she can now understand why she is an orphan, and why she is so often ill and in hospital.
More significantly she can now understand why the husband of her sister Betty didn’t want to have Lydia in their home any longer.
In spite of this sad news, Lydia has no intention of sitting at home being depressed. She wants to live, and to dream.
This is why as soon as she arrives into the room of the new orphanage, she hangs her motto above her bed: “I want to be happy every day”.
The children in the orphanage live as independently as they can. Apart from taking their daily dose of medication they try as much as possible to exclude the burden of illness from their daily lives.
The children in the orphanage receive news that the students with the best results can go to a better school in the coming year.
This news encourages Lydia to persevere with her illness, and towards her dream to become a teacher later on in life, and she is now more determined than ever before to make this dream come true.
The teenagers in Little heaven have the same dreams and hopes like all teenagers around the world.
The director, Lieven Corthouts, lived in the Little Heaven orphanage for two years and placed Lydia’s story at the heart of this documentary.
Long synopsis
Right In the heart of the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa is a small orphanage called “Little Heaven”. One of the orphans, Lydia, is 13 today. A truly joyful event, because she can now move to the ‘other house‘ where all of the ‘big kids’ live. Unfortunately this special day is overshadowed by the shocking news delivered to her by the head nurse: Lydia is HIV positive.
The other children in the new orphanage do all they can to support Lydia. At first glance, they look like any normal group of young children: they go to school, they play together in the courtyard of the orphanage, and they have fun laughing on their bunk beds.
The children in the orphanage live as independently as they can. Apart from taking their daily dose of medication they try as much as possible to exclude the burden of illness from their daily lives. However, Lydia suffers quite a lot with her own health and is continually confronted with her illness during frequent hospital visits. “I sometimes feel like a chemist shop with all the medication I have to take,” she sighs. Lydia’s illness also prevents her from doing what she absolutely adores the most but no longer has the strength for, which is dancing.
The children in the orphanage receive news that the students with the best results can go to a better school in the coming year. This news encourages Lydia to persevere with her illness, and towards her dream to become a teacher later on in life, and she is now more determined than ever before to make this dream come true.
Outreach Work Supported
Educational mobile screening tour through Ethiopia in collaboration with HIV clinics.
Crew
Lieven Corthouts
Director
Born in Belgium, raised in a suburb of Brussels. He followed his love for flamenco and moved to Andalucia. He lived and played chess in Allepo, Syria.
Then he went to a small village in Ethiopia were he made My Future. Prize best debut at Miradasdoc, Special mention film festival D’Abruzzen,
Official selection New York independent film festival (screenings in New York and Los Angeles), Edinburgh film festival, Huesca film festival, Trois continentes, Docville, Begrade film festival, Planeta Doc, ...
Screened in several schools and cities in Belgium, The Netherlands and Ethiopia.
Finished his second film, Little Heaven. The script was selected for Doc Station at the Berlinale.
Little Heaven had his world premiere at IDFA 2011, other festivals: Miradasdoc (best documentary) Festroia (best documantary) Annuu Ru Aborro (audience award), Docville (special mention), Movies that Matter, Human rights watch FF UK, Open Doek, Planeta doc, Human rights watch FF New York, Addis Ababa international film festival, Seoul international film festival, Move it!, Enfances dans le monde, ...
Docville and Flanders doc selected Little Heaven for several screenings in art house theatres in Belgium.
In Ethiopia, Little Heaven was screened in the cities of Addis Ababa, Mekelle, Bahir Dar. Little Heaven will thanks to Britdoc travel in Ethiopia and this with and educational and discussing program in 30 small villages and schools in Ethiopia.
Little Heaven had and will have screenings in several schools in Belgium and the Netherlands.
Lievens films were broadcasted by ARTE, VRT, RAI, TV3, CANVAS, TV5, ZDF, Lichtpunt, RSI, Israeli Channel, TVI24
About the production Company
Off World is an independent production company based in Brussels, capital of Flanders, Belgium and Europe. Off World’s main goal is to produce international author documentaries. Over the last few years, the company has built up a large portfolio and a solid reputation as delegate producer and co-producer of many creative and original documentaries. Off World’s trademark is a contemporary and wayward look on the world, which springs from the passion and talent of the documentary authors.
