Tag Archives: southafrica

The Swenkas

The Swenkas (Denmark, 2004, Director: Jeppe Rønde, 72 minutes): This film was really unlike any other documentary I’ve ever seen. The Swenkas are a group of about 20 Zulu men who gather each weekend to “swank”: they dress up in … Continue reading

Posted in Documentaries, Film Festivals, Hot Docs | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on The Swenkas

Beneath the Stars

Beneath the Stars (Sweden/South Africa, 2004, Directors: Titti Johnson and Helgi Felixson, 105 minutes): The film follows Frieda Darvel, one of Cape Town’s many street kids, as she pursues her dream of leaving the streets for a singing career. At … Continue reading

Posted in Documentaries, Film Festivals, Hot Docs | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Beneath the Stars

Drum

Drum (South Africa, director Zola Maseko): Drum is the story of Henry Nxumalo, a journalist for South Africa’s pioneering Drum magazine. Set in the mid-1950s, the film attempts to recreate the ambience of Sophiatown, an area of shops and nightclubs … Continue reading

Posted in Film Festivals, TIFF | Tagged , | Comments Off on Drum

Hot Docs Tuesday

Story of a Beautiful Country (South Africa/Canada, Director: Khalo Matabane) — This was a disappointment. Billed as a road movie through the new South Africa (and today marks ten years since the first democratic multiracial elections in the country), it … Continue reading

Posted in Documentaries, Film Festivals, Hot Docs | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Hot Docs Tuesday

Stander

Stander (Canada/UK/South Africa, director Bronwen Hughes): Andre Stander was a police captain in South Africa. In 1976, during riot duty, he shoots and kills a young black man. Deeply disturbed by his place in the apartheid society, he begins robbing … Continue reading

Posted in Film Festivals, TIFF | Tagged , | Comments Off on Stander