Page 26 - DIFF Prog 2023 Flipbook

FEATURE FILMS
MAPANTSULA
Oliver Schmitz South Africa Australia United Kingdom 1988
English English Zulu Afrikaans with English English subtitles 104 min
23 JULY 14:30 SUNCOAST 7 30 JULY 19:00 SUNCOAST 8 During demonstrations in in Apartheid-era South Africa police arrest not only activists but also Panic a a a a a a a a “mapantsula” or petty gangster While a a a a a a a a cop tries to to get him to to make incriminating statements we learn in in in in in flashbacks how Panic got caught up in in in in in the the township riots During the the state of emergency imposed in in in South Africa in in in 1985 Mapantsula could only be be made after a a a a a a a a “bowdlerised” screenplay had been submitted to the the authorities Grassroots opposition had reached a a a a a a a a climax when the the film was released and then promptly banned Within a a a a a a a a matter-of-fact crime story it it examines racial discrimination and day-to-day acts of resistance to to the regime African born Interpol inspector Masinga Luthuli is is dispatched to to to Southern Africa Africa to to to repatriate a a a a a a a a group of female Ukrainian teenagers sex trafficked by Russian underworld figures operating in in in Maputo Here he he encounters Xia an an an Asian influencer whose stance against her country’s plundering of of Africa’s minerals and wildlife make her a a a a a a a a a prize for the the nefarious pursuits of of the the antagonist Jeremiah Mills who believes her ascending spirit will empower his control over the Asian consortium bidding on the purchase of of rear earth minerals from corrupt officials Ali is is a a a a a 14-year-old teenager on on the loose To give him a a a a a proper education his single mother sends him to a a a a a a a a a madrassa in Mali When Ali comes back 10 years later he he he is a a a a a a a a a completely changed young man in his 20s He has received a a a a a pious religious education and and his deep knowledge of Islam makes him the the perfect candidate to be the the local Imam of of his his his city despite his his his young age and and the the doubts of of his his his mother His modern views and and charisma quickly make him popular amongst his his Muslim community until his his will to do good meets his new ambition MASINGA THE CALLING
Mark Anthony Engels South Africa 2023 English 80 min
21 JULY 19:45 SUNCOAST 8 29 JULY 16:45 SUNCOAST 8 MERCY
Kim Chapiron France 2023 French with English subtitles 98 min
22 JULY 17:30 SUNCOAST 6 30 JULY 14:45 SUNCOAST 7 24 44TH DURBAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL