SOUTH AFRICA: 20 YEARS OF DEMOCRACY program presented in collaboration with the South African Department of Arts and Culture, the National Film and Video Foundation of South Africa and the KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission.
| 29 Nov | 2:00 PM | The Wooden Camera | Ntshavheni wa Luruli |
| Two teenage boys, Madiba and Sipho living in the Cape Town Township, Kayelithsa, find a dead body as they are playing alongside the railroad tracks. With the body, they find a gun with one bullet and a video camera. Sipho takes the gun and Madiba takes the camera, which he puts inside a wooden toy to make the camera seem to be a not-working toy. These choices will drive the rest of their lives. Madiba films the world around him while sipho becomes a robber. Directed by Ntshavheni wa Luruli, 2003, 92 min, South Africa, drama, English | |||
| 29-Nov | 4:30 PM | Material | Craig Fremond |
| Cassim Kaif is a young Muslim man who works in his father, Ebrahim Kaif's fabric shop. Ebrahim already has plans for Cassim to take over his shop while Cassim dreams of being a stand up comedian. When Ebrahim finds out about the stand up comedy, Cassim finds himself in direct conflict with his father, his family and his community. His father demands that he make a choice This sweet comedy-drama is entirely set in the Indian enclave of Forsdburg, Johannesburg, South Africa. Directed by Craig Freimond, 2012, 93 min, South Africa, drama, English | |||
| 2-Dec | 7:30 PM | Between Friends | Zuko Nodada |
| After 7 years, college friends reunite at an up-market game lodge in South Africa. Long buried secrets shared by old friends are eventually exposed, causing tensions to arise in current relationships. A stylish, funny tale of the new South Africa. Stars Thapelo Mokoena, Lihle Dhlomo, Mandisa Nduna, Dunisani Mbebe, Amanda Du Pont, Siyabonga Twala and Morne Du toit. Directed by Zuko Nodada, 2014, 93 min, South Africa, Romantic comedy, English, Zulu with English subt. | |||
| 3-Dec | 8:30 PM | Last Doorman Standing | Analet Steenkamp |
| In the twilight of his life, Harry, a dignified doorman at a five-star hotel, spends his nights lovingly maintaining his collection of miniature trains. But the world is changing and it seems a free South Africa has no use for an older white man. Directed by Anneke Villet, 2013, 24min, South Africa, drama, English. | |||
| 3-Dec | 8:30 PM | The Manicurist | Beathur Mgoza Baker |
| Diana, the owner of a successful nail salon has shelved her dreams of becoming a singer until Sonia, a gospel sensation, walks into her salon. Sonia awakens in Diana the dark memories of trauma and makes her feel an insatiable jealousy. Directed by Beathur Mgoza Baker, 2014, 25min, South Africa, drama, English | |||
| 3-Dec | 8:30 PM | The State | Lwazi Mvusi |
| As South Africa celebrates 20 years of democracy, The State looks 20 years ahead to a dystopian future. A system of apartheid exists between those who are blindly obedient to the State and those who are not. Supporters reside in the gated suburbs where there is service delivery and work opportunities for all. Detractors are relegated to deprivation in the townships and can only enter the gated communities with a rarely-issued Pass. The government has the right to detain and 'convert' detractors without trial. This is the world that 24-year old Nomzamo learned to survive in after her activist parents' death. Forced to fend for herself from an early age, she resents the choice her parents made and cares only for her own survival. Until a foray into the gated suburbs leads to her arrest and 'conversion' by The State. Will she comply and betray the activists or is defiance born in the darkest hours? Directed by Lwazi Mvusi, 2014, 24min, South Africa, drama, English. | |||
| 4-Dec | 6:00 PM | I, Afrikaaner | Analet Steenkamp |
| Set in rural South Africa where land is a highly contentious issue and mutual racial animosity is rife, Annelet Steenkamp documents four generations of her family over nine years in a post-Apartheid era, her grandmother, who leaves the farm after an attack; her brother and sister-in-law as they push forward with the traditional Afrikaner dream of farming commercial land; and her young niece, whose post-Apartheid upbringing and views are tested when tragedy comes to the farm. | |||
| 4-Dec | 8:30 PM | The Two of Us | Thina Sobabini |
| Thulas and his sister Zanele, who live in the township of Alexandra in South Africa, have a very turbulent relationship. After witnessing the abuse of his sister as a child, Thulas feels very protective of her. So when Zanele falls for an older man, he is determined to put an end to their relationship. | |||
| 5-Dec | 8:30 PM | Between Friends | Zuko Nodada |
After 7 years, college friends reunite at an up-market game lodge in South Africa. Long buried secrets shared by old friends are eventually exposed, causing tensions to arise in current relationships. A stylish, funny tale of the new South Africa. Stars Thapelo Mokoena, Lihle Dhlomo, Mandisa Nduna, Dunisani Mbebe, Amanda Du Pont, Siyabonga Twala and Morne Du toit. Directed by Zuko Nodada, 2014, 93 min, South Africa, Romantic comedy, English, Zulu with English subt. |
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| 6-Dec | 1:00 PM | I, Afrikaaner | Analet Steenkamp |
| Set in rural South Africa where land is a highly contentious issue and mutual racial animosity is rife, Annelet Steenkamp documents four generations of her family over nine years in a post-Apartheid era, her grandmother, who leaves the farm after an attack; her brother and sister-in-law as they push forward with the traditional Afrikaner dream of farming commercial land; and her young niece, whose post-Apartheid upbringing and views are tested when tragedy comes to the farm. | |||
| 6-Dec | 3:00 PM | Letters to Zohra | Saskia Vredeveld and Hannah Renfurm |
| Born into a middle class Indian family in South Africa, young Ahmed Kathrada sides with the oppressed black majority of the 1950s. Arrested and convicted for high treason, he is sentenced to life imprisonment on Robben Island, together with Nelson Mandela. On the island, 'Kathy' and 'Madiba' became more than just friends; they became family. The documentary highlights Kathrada's role in the apartheid struggle using extracts from some of more than 900 letters he succeeded in having smuggled in and out of prison to his niece, Zohra. Directed by Saskia Vredeveld, 2014, 52 min, The Netherlands, documentary, English. | |||
| 6-Dec | 7:30 PM | The Two of Us | Thina Sobabini |
| Thulas and his sister Zanele, who live in the township of Alexandra in South Africa, have a very turbulent relationship. After witnessing the abuse of his sister as a child, Thulas feels very protective of her. So when Zanele falls for an older man, he is determined to put an end to their relationship. | |||
| 7-Dec | 5:00 PM | Letters to Zohra | Saskia Vredeveld and Hannah Renfurm |
| Born into a middle class Indian family in South Africa, young Ahmed Kathrada sides with the oppressed black majority of the 1950s. Arrested and convicted for high treason, he is sentenced to life imprisonment on Robben Island, together with Nelson Mandela. On the island, 'Kathy' and 'Madiba' became more than just friends; they became family. The documentary highlights Kathrada's role in the apartheid struggle using extracts from some of more than 900 letters he succeeded in having smuggled in and out of prison to his niece, Zohra. Directed by Saskia Vredeveld, 2014, 52 min, The Netherlands, documentary, English. | |||
| 7-Dec | 6:45 PM | The Vula Connection | Marion Edmunds |
| 7-Dec | 9:30 PM | Material | Craig Fremond |
| Cassim Kaif is a young Muslim man who works in his father, Ebrahim Kaif's fabric shop. Ebrahim already has plans for Cassim to take over his shop while Cassim dreams of being a stand up comedian. When Ebrahim finds out about the stand up comedy, Cassim finds himself in direct conflict with his father, his family and his community. His father demands that he make a choice This sweet comedy-drama is entirely set in the Indian enclave of Forsdburg, Johannesburg, South Africa. Directed by Craig Freimond, 2012, 93 min, South Africa, drama, English | |||
| 8-Dec | 1:00 PM | Nothing But The Truth | John Kani |
| In New Brighton, South Africa, 63-year-old librarian Sipho Makhaya prepares for the return of the ashes of his brother Themba, recently deceased while in exile in London after gaining a reputation as a hero of the anti-apartheid movement. The film is about the complex dynamic between the black people who remained in South Africa and risked their lives to lead the struggle against apartheid and those who returned to the country after exile. Directed by John Kani, 2008, 78 min, South Africa, drama, English | |||
| 8-Dec | 7:30 PM | Between Friends | Zuko Nodada |
| After 7 years, college friends reunite at an up-market game lodge in South Africa. Long buried secrets shared by old friends are eventually exposed, causing tensions to arise in current relationships. A stylish, funny tale of the new South Africa. Stars Thapelo Mokoena, Lihle Dhlomo, Mandisa Nduna, Dunisani Mbebe, Amanda Du Pont, Siyabonga Twala and Morne Du toit. Directed by Zuko Nodada, 2014, 93 min, South Africa, Romantic comedy, English, Zulu with English subt. | |||
| 9-Dec | 5:00 PM | Material | Craig Fremond |
| Cassim Kaif is a young Muslim man who works in his father, Ebrahim Kaif's fabric shop. Ebrahim already has plans for Cassim to take over his shop while Cassim dreams of being a stand up comedian. When Ebrahim finds out about the stand up comedy, Cassim finds himself in direct conflict with his father, his family and his community. His father demands that he make a choice This sweet comedy-drama is entirely set in the Indian enclave of Forsdburg, Johannesburg, South Africa. Directed by Craig Freimond, 2012, 93 min, South Africa, drama, English | |||
| 9-Dec | 6:00 PM | Come Back Africa | Lionel Rogosin |
| Filmed in secret from the South African government, Come Back, Africa is a devastating, yet uplifting street-level portrait of the inhumanities of state-sponsored racism, and the glimmers of hope found through community, dance and music. Convincing authorities that he was there to simply make a musical travelogue, director Lionel Rogosin went underground to film the fish-out-of-water story of a rural African who comes to Johannesburg looking for a dignified job, only to be mentally and physically battered by the realities of Apartheid. Ignored in the segregated U.S. upon its initial 1960 release, Come Back, Africa has brilliantly resurfaced to become one of the great cinematic historical documents of its era. Features young Miriam Makeba, who performs two full songs. "A HEROIC FILM! This picture opened the eyes of many people to Apartheid myself included." Martin Scorsese USA/South Africa, 1960, 83 min, drama, English, Lionel Rogosin, dir. | |||
| 9-Dec | 6:00 PM | Otelo Burning | Sara Blecher |
| Set in 1989 Durban, South Africa, at a time when anti-apartheid tensions were running high, this film tells the story of 16-year old Otelo Bhutelezi and his friends who discover a love for surfing. When Otelo starts to surf, it becomes obvious that he has a natural knack for the sport. However, conflict rises when Otelo gets negative attention from new friends. Directed by Sara Blecher, 2011, 97 min, South Africa, drama, Zulu, English, English Subt. | |||
| 10-Dec | 6:00 PM | Life in Progress | Irene Loebelle |
| Venter, Tshidiso and Seipati live in Katlehong, a run-down South African township. Wherever the talented youngsters perform their dance routines they receive thunderous applause. In the limelight of Johannesburg's theaters, it seems as though their fondest dreams of a better life might actually come true. However, as they return home to their decrepit houses, they face a reality where little has changed since the end of apartheid 20 years ago. Directed by Irene Loebell, 2014, 99 min, Switzerland/South Africa, documentary, English, Sotho with English subt. | |||
For more information and to buy tickets, please visit SOUTH AFRICA: 20 YEARS OF DEMOCRACY program at the African Diaspora Film Festival.
