Apartheid doccie is a blast
London Recruits is a film that tells of young foreigners who were recruited by the ANC
Documentaries
The Portfolio: ‘Murder in Paris’ director Enver Samuel
Thirty-three years since Dulcie September’s assassination, a new documentary hopes to bring her name back into the public consciousness
Phumlani Pikoli and the art of quitting school to make it
Writer, skater and filmmaker Phumlani Pikoli says his artistic intention was ‘to play’
Review: ‘A New Country’ portrays the lingering aftertaste of a bittersweet freedom
Taking its cues from the dimming of the hope suggested by rainbowism, ‘A New Country’ attempts to articulate the depths of betrayal South Africans feel
Review: The documentary ‘Clebs’ is an allegory for the human condition
‘Clebs’, which documents more than 750 dogs at a sanctuary in Morocco, provides some timely symbolism as it points to human truths
Review: ‘Planet of the Humans’ is a mess. You should watch it
The new documentary on the future of our planet, executive produced by Michael Moore, fails on a number of fronts. But believers in green growth could still learn from it.
Mars mix might be TV’s future
Tomorrow’s television viewing could be a mashup of documentary meets fiction meets mockumentary.
Holocaust director hails jihadi doccie
Documentary depicts life among jihadi groups
Mary Ellen Mark, champion of ‘people on the edges’, dies
Mark, whose unflinching portraits of child prostitutes, mental patients and the homeless made her a leading documentary photographer, has died at 75.
‘Empire of dirt’: You can have it all
Through his father Clive, Ben Stillerman delves into the relationship between the efforts we put into our work and our private lives.
Talking to animals, one mosquito at a time
Doctor Dolittle in the flesh: South African-born Anna Breytenbach explores the phenomenon of talking to animals in The Animal Communicator.
Oppression across ?continents
The TriContinental Human Rights Film Festival opens in Johannesburg this weekend, with its usual full slate of documentaries from around the world.
Encounters: Five of the best at the fest
We choose some of the must-see documentaries showing as part of the Encounters festival.
Jo’burg cast in new light, but old shadows abide
"Jeppe on a Friday" is a compelling documentary filmed in one day by eight female filmmakers.
No shortcut through the graveyard forest
A striking new documentary delves into the lives of Israelis and Palestinians living together but apart.
Unholy conquest of the ‘eternal capital’
The narrative of filmmaker Mohammed Alatar’s disturbing ‘Jerusalem: The East Side Story’ begins predictably in 1947 with the division of Palestine.
Reminding us of the miracle of South Africa’s transition
Miracle Rising, a documentary tracing South Africa’s difficult path to freedom and democracy, premieres on Sunday. Aneesa Fazel was at the preview.
Discovering hippies and teen rebellion when ‘Searching for Sugar Man’
Rodriguez’s magical transformation into a hero around the world has proved old South African hippies right — for once.
Is Oscar-nominated ‘5 Broken Cameras’ an Israeli or Palestinian film?
The film’s critical acclaim has prompted Israel to claim a Palestinian story as its own, writes Asa Winstanley.
Be bold with bananas
Documentarians tend to traffic in misery and horror and it can be hard to escape that feeling when taking a look at the TriContinental Film Festival.
We live in these times, and we have to speak out
This year’s Tricontinental Film Festival celebrates those who have fought to protect freedom of speech and expression.
Festival of truth and freedom
The Tricontinental Film Festival, the biggest festival of human rights cinema in Africa, returns with a thought-provoking lineup.
Fragile moments of adversity
Two of the Durban film festival’s most powerful movies came from directors based in Iran, Palestine and Israel.
Gangster film blurs genres
The thing Teboho Edkins wants you to know about his film, ‘Gangster Project’, is that "it is not a film about gangsters, it is a film with gangsters".
A quest for peace
Robi Damelin, the subject of One Day After Peace, lost her son in the Palestine-Israel conflict. Returning to South Africa, she seeks a way to forgive.
Mr and Mrs Eames: Sleek designs and a complex life
"Eames: The Architect and the Painter" joins Kahn’s "My Architect" and Hustwit’s "Helvetica" as one of the great cinema works about modern design.
Cancellation of pro-Palestinian documentary is ‘discriminatory’
The Labia Theatre in Cape Town has come under fire from the Right2Know campaign after cancelling a screening of "Roadmap to Apartheid".
Shooting under fire
Dancing with the Devil was shot by accomplished SA cinematographer Lance Gewer. He spoke from Paris where he is working on an international film.
SA-born film maker Jon Blair dances with his dark side
One feels an enormous sense of gratuitous satisfaction while watching Jon Blair’s Rio drug documentary "Dancing with the Devil".
Duchess of York to be tried in absentia in Turkey
A court in Turkey has begun a trial against Sarah Ferguson for allegedly taking part in the secret filming of orphanages in the country.
Eastwood’s Brubeck misses beat
The director’s craggy masculinity and individualism are not suited to a subject as subtle as Dave Brubeck.
FROM THE ARCHIVES | Athol Fugard: A man of obstinacy and courage
A new documentary charts the struggle of playwright Athol Fugard against the violence of apartheid.
