The digitally restored version of the South African film, Mapantsula by Oliver Schmitz, which had its world premiere in February, in Berlinale’s classic section will make its African premiere at the 44th Durban International Film Festival in July.
Earlier this year for the Berlinale Classics section at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival, Rainer Rother and his team shone a special spotlight on films from the 1980s and early 1990s. Directed by Oliver Schmitz, 1988’s Mapantsula is widely considered the first true anti-apartheid film to come out of South Africa.
Filmed in Soweto, with a score that reflected the music of the time, it tells the story of a petty gangster named Johannes ‘Panic’ Themba Mzolo who inevitably becomes caught up in the anti-apartheid struggle and has to choose between individual gain and a united stand against the system. When the film was released, it made a tremendous impact on critics and film-goers alike but was banned by the apartheid government.
The original Mapantsula was the first anti-apartheid film that had its premiere screening at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival after the apartheid government had banned the film in South Africa. The film debuted to massive critical acclaim and garnered international praise for its artistic value and its efforts in raising awareness of the South African struggle. It made a massive impact on political cinema and pop culture and brought African cinema to the forefront of industry conversations.
Decades later, the film is still making history. In February this year, it became the first South African film to screen as part of the Berlinale Classics selection at this year’s 73rd Berlin International Film Festival this week in honour of Black History Month.
The film’s impressive cast includes SAFTAs Lifetime Achievement Award winner Thembi Mtshali-Jones, the late Thomas Mogotlane, Darlington Michaels, Peter Sephuma, Arthur Molepo, SAFTA nominee Marcel van Heerden and late legendary singer Dolly Rathebe.
The restoration, supervised by Schmitz and Aaryan Trivedi, was produced by London-based What The Hero Wants. The original 35mm negative was used by R3STORE STUDIOS in London for the 4K scan. The colour correction, and picture and sound processing were conducted at PURPLE DOG POST in Canada with picture and logistic support by STUDIO MITTE in Berlin. The original analogue audio tracks were enhanced and re-mastered to do justice to the vibrant soundtrack. The world premiere of the digitally restored 4K version marked the 35th anniversary of the original release and honoured Black History Month.
This classic has an 89% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with The Guardian calling it a “terrific movie… even more remarkable than Cry Freedom and A World Apart.”
Celebrating Mapantsula, Spike Lee said, “It’s about time a feature film has come out that presents South Africa from a black perspective. Mapantsula does just that and uses a popular film form and popular culture to make its anti-apartheid message accessible to everybody.”
New York Times said, “Feels more authentic and less contrived than other South African films . .. Fine and caustic, it drives its political message home.”
Durban International Film Festival announced that it will be presenting this restored and important film on the first Sunday of this year’s festival, 23 July at selected cinemas throughout South Africa.
