Apartheid ended in 1994 and nearly 30 years later, things are still in a state of chaos.
Scholars, artists, activists and politicians sit for director Sifiso Khanyile in this documentary about how the county of South Africa is still trying to recover from it. The promise of change and inclusion has yet to be fulfilled and some people are still living in impoverished conditions just waiting for the government to do something. Colonialism has hooked its claws in the minds of some of the (white) residents and they fear that equality will mean they lose a piece of their past.
With the use of footage from the nineties and more recently the political and social issues from the early 2000’s, this documentary acts as a reminder for people who think that all the problems in South Africa ended when Apartheid did – it hasn’t. There is still work to be done and this film will hopefully bring attention to it for the rest of the world to see that change needs to happen. That there is still racism and an uneven distribution of land and wealth among the people.
Things can change, but it’s going to take some time for hearts and minds to catch up to doing what’s right.
South African Film Festival 2021 will screen A NEW COUNTRY on May 20th. Tickets and more information are available HERE
SAFF 2021 Review – A New Country
Reviewed online (screener provided by publicist), May 17, 2021. Rating: G. Running time: 60 min.
CREW: Director/producer: Sifiso Khanyile. Writers: Lee Molefi, Sifiso Khanyile. Music: Shane Cooper, Mabuta.