South African Films at ADIFF New York 2024

Friday, November 29 @ 7:00pm + Friday December 6 @8:40PM

After her colleague Stanley Galloway is killed in a suspicious hit-and-run, investigative reporter Luyanda Masinda uncovers a government cover-up involving biological weapons. As the death toll rises, Luyanda races to expose the truth with help from Stanley's source in the State Department. Director Ian Gabriel delivers a high-stakes political thriller inspired by real-life assassinations of South African journalists, blending intense action with complex espionage. Directed by Ian Gabriel, 2023, 127 min, Crime Drama, South Africa, English
Screening followed by Q&A and catered reception

Friday, November 29 @ 12:30pm + Monday, December 2 @ 6PM

Blaxploitation in South Africa highlights Banned and Joe Bullet, two films that defied apartheid censorship. Through the documentary Banned, explore the discussion around Joe Bullet and its impact, followed by a rare screening of the restored 1971 thriller—a powerful symbol of resistance in South African cinema.

Nov. 29 @12:30pm + Dec. 2 @ 6PM

Banned
US Premiere

"Banned" uncovers the compelling story of "Joe Bullet," a groundbreaking 1971 South African action thriller. As the first film to feature an all-black African cast, it faced immediate censorship upon its 1973 release. This documentary delves into the film's tumultuous history, featuring interviews with surviving cast members Abigail Kubeka and Sol Rachilo, producer Tony Van Der Merwe, and banned filmmaker Kevin Harris. Narrated by cultural luminaries Dr. Gcina Mhlophe, Dr. Mbongeni Ngema, and Dr. Kgotso Nkhatho, "Banned" exposes the harsh realities of censorship during apartheid South Africa. Experience this powerful exploration of cinema history, followed by a rare screening of "Joe Bullet" itself at ADIFF. Directed by Naledi Bogacwi, 2024, 80 minutes, Documentary, South Africa, English

Nov. 29 @ 2:30pm + Dec. 2 @ 8PM Joe Bullet

Restored Classic

"Joe Bullet" stands as a landmark in South African cinema history - the first film to showcase an all-black African cast, only to be swiftly banned by the Apartheid regime after its debut screening. This newly restored classic follows the titular hero as he comes to the aid of a local football team besieged by mysterious gangsters on the eve of their championship final. Joe Bullet must use all his skills to save both the team and their shot at glory. Don't miss this rare opportunity to view a long-suppressed piece of cinematic rebellion, whose fascinating backstory is chronicled in ADIFF's accompanying documentary, "Banned." Directed by Louis de Witt, 1973, 85 minutes, Action/Drama, South Africa, English

Tuesday December 3 @ 8PM + Wednesday December 4 @ 2:40PM
US Premiere
WINNER Best South African Feature Film, Durban International Film Festival 2024

Sierra, an eccentric young black visual artist in Johannesburg discovers she is pregnant. The father, Tiro is her boyfriend and manager. He convinces her to consume an abortion-inducing concoction. Instead of ending the pregnancy, she is bestowed with the inexplicable ability to excrete gold coins.
Directed by Adze Ugah, 2024, 90 minutes, Drama/Comedy, South Africa, Xhosa, Zulu, Afrikaans and English (with English subtitles)

Wednesday December 4 @ 12:40PM

Mama Africa is a documentary by Mika Kaurismäki that chronicles the life of Miriam Makeba, the South African singer and civil rights activist. It covers her five-decade career, from her rise to global fame to her exile from South Africa in 1959 due to her anti-apartheid stance. The film highlights her influence in the U.S. Civil Rights Movement, her marriage to Stokely Carmichael, and her ongoing activism in Africa and beyond. Featuring rare footage and interviews, it portrays Makeba as a powerful voice for justice and cultural pride.
Directed by Abdelkrim Bahloul, 1999, 90 mins, Narrative, France, French with subtitles in English

Wednesday December 4 @ 12:40PM + Tuesday December 10 @6:20PM

US Premiere
Ayanda is an 18 year-old high-school student from a middle class home in Joburg. Her father is absent and her mother might as well be because she is always busy climbing the corporate ladder. From the outside looking in, her life looks pretty normal, but deep inside, Ayanda is slowly self-destructing. Chaotic is the perfect word to describe her last year of Highschool. She is bullied, argues with her mother constantly and has absolutely no interest in school. The story plays out over 24hrs, on a scorching hot Friday. Directed by Morokwe Kaizer Mokgobu, 2024, 67 minutes, Drama, South Africa, English

Wednesday December 4 @ 2:40PM
US Premiere

Apartheid was dismantled in 1994, yet three decades later, South Africa still remains the most unequal country in the world. The roots of this inequality are revealed in this exploration into South African history, exposing why they persist today. A perspective-shifting documentary that features, in unprecedented access, the grandson of the “Architect of Apartheid”, who takes a searingly honest look into his ancestry, exposing not only the systemic strings that Apartheid still holds over South Africa, but the psychological strings as well. Directed by Tara Moore, 2024, 90 mins, Documentary, South Africa, English

Wednesday December 4 @ 8:40PM

28 July 1958. Badman, an intellectual and the leader of the most powerful gang in Sophiatown, lives life on his own terms in this crazy, cosmopolitan, half demolished ghetto on the edge of Johannesburg. The gorgeous Eve Msomi, a torch-singer on the brink of an international career, is giving her last concert in the local hall before she travels to London. Tomorrow, legions of police will force the residents of Gerty street out of their homes and they will be trucked to a desolate township, ten miles out of the city. Refusing to face the bleak reality of black South African life, Badman has decided that he will fight to the death for his home. But fate, thrusts Eve Msomi, whom he has loved from a distance, into his orbit. And on this night that bears this beautiful encounter, Badman's gang, The Vipers, sensing his vulnerability, turns on them both. Directed by Angus Gibson, 2019, 95 mins, Romantic Drama, South Africa, Zulu, Afrikaans, English with subtitles in English

Wednesday December 4 @ 6PM + Thursday December 5 @ 3:20PM
US Premiere

Quantum portrays a day in South Africa through the lives of a diverse cast of characters: a recovering addict, an estranged daughter, a single mother, an uninspired filmmaker, orphans and a thug. Though living separate lives, they are intricately connected in unexpected ways. Directed by Anele Geqiwe, 2024, 84 minutes, Drama, South Africa, English and Xhosa (with English subtitles)

Friday December 6 @6:30PM

This powerful documentary by acclaimed director Raoul Peck (I Am Not Your Negro ) unveils the extraordinary life of South African photographer Ernest Cole. Known for exposing apartheid's horrors in "House of Bondage," Cole's journey from exile to homelessness is a tale of artistic brilliance and personal struggle. The 2017 discovery of 60,000 unknown negatives revived interest in his work. Narrated by LaKeith Stanfield and featuring Cole's private writings, this Cannes L'Œil d'Or winner introduces a new generation to Cole's powerful legacy of documenting the unseen. Directed by Raoul Peck, 2024, 105 minutes, Documentary, France, English

Tuesday December 10 @6:00PM

Aces is the story of a young man who fights against the battering of his mother by his drunken father. The situation escalates until Ace desperately stabs his father to death, and is sent to J*il for a period of 15 years. Nine years later he is out on parole. He kills again within a day’s time of his release. Directed by Ntandazo "Didi" Gcina, 1999, 17minutes, Short, Drama, South Africa, English

Host or Publisher African Diaspora International Film Festival