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We’re showing over 50 films in cinemas, in 2023.

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The boring stuff.

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!Film Still: AITSA

!Aitsa

!Aitsa transcends tradition, science and spirituality, immersing viewers on a journey that explores the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project in the Karoo. The film delves into the Khoi and San populations’ traditional roots and highlights the sacred value of the land.

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1001 Days - Film Still

1001 Days

1001 Days offers a tender and eye-opening account of the Ubulele Visiting Home programme in Alexandra, South Africa. Following eight devoted women, the film is a poignant reminder of the strength of the human spirit and the transformative power of communal support.

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A Lion’s Trail

A Lion’s Trail reveals the story of Solomon Linda, the Zulu herdboy behind The Lion Sleeps Tonight, whose rights were stolen. This captivating documentary explores the journey from Africa to America, highlighting the injustices of copyright and the unifying force of music.

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A Performance on Femininity

A Performance on Femininity takes us on an engrossing journey into Kikunu Ono’s identity as a female geisha in Nara, Japan. Ono shares her profound experiences, challenging societal norms and transcending gender labels.

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Afrikaaps

Afrikaaps is a groundbreaking film and stage play reclaiming Afrikaans as a language of liberation. It shatters whitewashing efforts, highlighting alternative histories through Cape Town’s hip hop artists who captivate with immediacy, irreverence and vibrancy.

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Apostles of Cinema

Apostles of Cinema is immensely heartwarming and showcases the unique cinema culture of Tanzania through the art of film pirating. The film captures how locals celebrate cinema in their own original way and highlights the importance of cinema as a nation-building activity.

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Ben Nomoyi

Immerse yourself in Ben Nomoyi’s influential world of South African television as filmmaker Derrick Makaula pays homage to this pioneering icon. Tracing Nomoyi’s journey, Makaula artfully weaves interviews and evocative replays, celebrating his groundbreaking legacy.

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Beyond the Light Barrier

In Beyond the Light Barrier, Elizabeth Klarer’s extraordinary life is explored in depth, narrated by John Kani. The South African meteorologist’s devotion to proving the existence of Akon, her extraterrestrial lover, as well as her enigmatic life on the alien planet Meton.

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Booking She Comes

Booking She Comes delves into the life of Charnie Segametsi Kolwane Mrwebi, a fearless Sesotho author and activist. It showcases her use of Sesotho literature to inspire, educate and preserve cultural heritage, while highlighting the challenges artists face in South Africa.

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Breaking Barriers

Ricardo shares his story as a differently-abled person, from a bodybuilder to a powerlifter. Despite having his leg amputated, he remains optimistic and strives to achieve more. He empowers others, cares for his community and aims to revive his town’s Multipurpose Centre.

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Calvinia

Calvinia is a poetic documentary about the small South African town and its impact under Apartheid’s value system. Filmmaker Rudi van Merwe poignantly and delicately confronts the town’s conservatism, injustices, prejudices and inequalities through personal and family history.

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Coach

Coach introduces us to Merlin Mosoko, who teaches basketball to his son and children in Delft, South Africa. Despite the country’s lack of support for the sport, Merlin’s passion has grown into a community effort to provide children with opportunities to play and build skills.

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Crushed

Crushed explores the complexities of having a crush and the obsessive nature of infatuation through a layered representation of intense contemplation. The film captures the cyclical spiral of thoughts and emotions and emphasises the vulnerability that can arise from these feelings.

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Dorpie

Dorpie follows community worker Lana O’Neill as she establishes a safe house in Bredasdorp, a town plagued by poverty, addiction and sexual violence against women. The film offers a moving tribute to Lana’s compassion, while highlighting important structural inequalities.

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Faces of Fortune

Faces of Fortune documents Terry Fortune’s life as drag queen in Cape Town’s theatre world. From humble beginnings to becoming a trailblazer for artists this is an inspiring story of triumph, struggle, and unbreakable spirit that highlights the transformative power of performance.

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Forever Home

Forever Home is a poignant short film that deals with themes of poverty and climate change, giving voice to those who would otherwise be unheard. The story highlights the struggle for stability and belonging and the challenges of benefiting from Africa’s rich resources.

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I Am This Water

I Am This Water delves into the contentious case of Liesbeek Leisure Property Trust (LLPT) versus the Khoisan people, centering on the construction dispute surrounding Amazon’s headquarters near Table Mountain’s base on Ingamorodi,! Khaes.

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Ikinji’s Stories

Three Egyptian women share their stories of life in rural Egypt. Rokia tells of lost love, as she and Rose recount stories of giving birth without medical assistance. They vividly reveal differences between then and now, painting a picture of life in the past.

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Let’s Go To The Mines

Let’s Go To The Mines honours the men brutally killed in the Marikana Massacre in 2012. It powerfully highlights their lives and the danger and sacrifice of mining, leaving families and communities displaced when breadwinners do not make it out.

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Milisuthando

Milisuthando Bongela’s coming-of-age documentary explores growing up in South Africa during and after Apartheid. Bongela blurs the lines between personal and historic, object and subject, and citizen and country. The film is an original and poetic meditation.

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Miners Shot Down

Miners Shot Down exposes the 2012 Marikana massacre where 34 striking miners were killed by South African Police. Rehad Desai masterfully chronicles the events leading to the tragedy, revealing complicity between Lonmin, the ANC government and the police.

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Money, Freedom

Money, Freedom is an ambitious and detailed documentary exploring the controversial use of the CFA franc currency in West and Central Africa. The film highlights the ongoing impact of colonialism and urges action for economic independence and sovereignty in Africa.

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Older Than Trees

Older Than Trees takes us on a captivating journey with James Leah as he strives to save declining shark populations threatened by overfishing for shark meat. Leah highlights the dangers of overfishing and the crucial role of legislation in conserving marine ecosystems.

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Our Land

Our Land is a thought-provoking short that illuminates overlooked land reform issues within South Africa’s mine disputes. Director Peter Goldsmid immerses viewers in rural residents’ struggles as mines exploit their rightful land, exposing powerlessness and advocating for change.

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Push Comes to Shove

Push Comes to Shove exposes South Africa’s obstetric violence crisis. Through survivor stories, the documentary uncovers gender-based violence during childbirth, urging immediate reform. This compelling film inspires change for women’s well-being in the healthcare system.

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Reflections in a broken mirror

Reflections in a Broken Mirror delves into how theatre has reshaped Afrikaner culture in post-Apartheid South Africa through key productions that challenged dominant Afrikaner identity. This rich and nostalgic film is essential for anyone interested in South African theatre.

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Standing on Their Shoulders

On 9 Aug 1956, 20,000 women marched to the Union Buildings in South Africa in protest against the dompas, challenging post-liberation relegation. Standing on Their Shoulders powerfully highlights ongoing resistance against oppression and pays tribute to Winnie Madikizela-Mandela.

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The 16th Man

Narrated by Morgan Freeman, The 16th Man captures the remarkable events of 1995 when South Africa hosted the Rugby World Cup. It showcases Nelson Mandela’s political acumen in using the tournament to unite a nation on the brink of civil war.

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The Gooseberry Grandmother’s Daughter

The Gooseberry Grandmother’s Daughter exposes power imbalances and divisions caused by a coal mine owners’ forceful entry into the peaceful rural community of Ophendweni. Through resilience and unity, the community fights back against exploitation, seeking justice for their fallen leader.

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The Long Journey of Clement Zulu

The Long Journey of Clement Zulu is a powerful documentary following the release of three men from Robben Island, revealing their transformative experiences in a changing South Africa. It pays tribute to overlooked heroes and challenges media stereotypes of political prisoners.

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The Reclaimers

The Reclaimers showcases the lives of self-employed waste collectors in South Africa who collect recyclable goods and resell them. They were left stranded during Covid-19, unable to sell due to lockdown laws. The film highlights their relationship with businesses and consumers.

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The Translator

The Translator is a tale of resilience, following a young Somali girl and her family’s journey seeking refuge in Ethiopia. This hopeful story showcases her triumph over adversity, finding her calling as a language instructor and bridging the gap between diverse communities.

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Krispus Ayena_Lead Councel of the Defence at the International Criminal Court in The Hague_credit_Kacper Czubak

Theatre of Violence

Theatre of Violence follows Dominic Ongwen, a former child soldier who became the first to be indicted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes. The documentary offers a thought-provoking perspective on restorative justice and the effectiveness of the ICC.

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This is National Wake - Film Still. Courtesy of National Wake

This is National Wake

This Is National Wake explores the rise and fall of a multiracial punk band during the decline of Apartheid. The film fervently examines the band’s outlaw lifestyle, their liberal philosophy, and the internal tragedy that brewed divisions between the members.

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What the Soil Remembers - Film Still

What the Soil Remembers

What the Soil Remembers explores the rich history of a small Western Cape town called ‘The Vlakte’. The film creatively highlights the town’s cultural beauty and past, as well as the impact of Apartheid and the role of Stellenbosch University in the town’s displacement.

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