Mapantsula

Director Oliver Schmitz worked closely with co-writer and lead actor Thomas Mogotlane to produce a film under extreme censorship, and by evasion of the authorities, they bravely created a radical and rare anti-apartheid feature film. Mapantsula tells the story of Panic, a small-time hood who believes he sees all the angles. But he is soon in the web of the authorities, pushed to betray the revolutionaries fighting for change.

More than a gripping crime story, Mapantsula is an almost miraculous opportunity to understand South Africa from within during its struggle for freedom, centred on the choices offered to Panic by a system set out to dehumanise him. Vital, humane and unvarnished, this is the time to reckon with Mapantsula.

This screening will include live performances by The Zulu Stomp.

Presented by Mosa Mpetha of Cinema Africa! and Tatenda Jamera of Maona Art

Supported by Independent Cinema Office and What The Hero Wants

Funded by BFI Audience Projects Fund.