A Guide to South Africa
on Film
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A Guide to South Africa on Film
Teacher Notes
Key Stage Target
Curriculum Links
✓KS3 ✓KS4 ✓KS5
✓History ✓ Politics ✓Citizenship ✓English Literature
A Guide to SOUTH AFRICA on FILM
Universal Pictures ©
(2006) All rights reserved
Warner Bros. © (2009) All rights reserved
TriStar Pictures © (2009)
All rights reserved
Channel 4 Television Corporation
© (1991) All rights reserved
Miramax Films © (2005)
All rights reserved
2014 marks the twentieth anniversary of the first free elections held in South Africa on 27th
April 1994. This was the first occasion that everybody had the the opportunity to vote
regardless of their race and millions queued outside polling stations to exert their right which
led to over 19 million votes being cast. The African National Congress (ANC) received 62% of
the vote and elected Nelson Mandela as President which made the him first black President in
the country’s history. The 27th April is now commemorated as Freedom Day in South Africa.
The films in this topic reflect South Africa both during and after the apartheid regime and is
aimed at promoting discussion about the issues that the films raise. This will provide young
people with a basic understanding of the country’s political history which they can use as the
basis for their independent research.
There is a screening worksheet which you can give to students to fill in as they are watching
the film to help them consider the elements of a film and can help to create their review. After
watching a film your students can write a review website or contact the Into Film offices to
receive review writing postcards.
Teacher Notes
A Guide to South Africa on Film
The films included in this resource are:
Cry Freedom (1987, PG) 157 mins
Catch A Fire (2006, 12) 101 mins
The Leader, The Driver and The Driver’s Wife (1991, 12) 84 mins
District 9 (2009, 15) 112 mins
Tsotsi (2005, 15) 94 mins
Invictus (2009, 12) 128 mins
Running a film club in your school can enrich the curriculum and allow young people to explore
a wide variety of issues, experience cultures beyond their own, and develop their creativity,
communication skills and confidence. After watching a film students are encouraged to
comment during a post-screening discussion before writing reviews on the website (which has a
real audience of other young people) where they can analyse the film and develop their literacy
and critical skills. Students can then go on to make their own films supported by Into Film’s
filmmaking resources available free to download from the Into Film website. Above all, students
and teachers can enjoy the shared experience of watching and discussing a film together.
Set up a free film club and enjoy free access to thousands of films and education resources for
learning through film and about film. To join or for information visit www.filmclub.org, email
support@filmclub.org or call 0207 288 4520.
Teacher Notes
A Guide to South Africa on Film
Cry Freedom (1987, PG) 157 mins
Enrichment Focus
Universal Pictures © (1987) All rights reserved
What’s this film about?
Based on the true story of Steve Biko, a South African anti-apartheid activist killed in police custody, and
the friend determined to honour his name.
Why this film?
Set in 1970s South Africa when apartheid still existed, newspaper editor Donald Woods and political
activist Steve Biko are on opposite sides of the fence. Despite seeing himself as a liberal and antiapartheid supporter Woods is critical of Biko’s extremist views resulting in a police ban from public
speaking. Persuaded to meet him, Woods learns that Biko’s ideas are passionate not dangerous, yet
radical in the face of an oppressive regime - he simply wants a voice and justice for the the oppressed
majority of South Africans. The two become friends as Wood’s begins to understand the harsh reality of
living under apartheid. When Biko is killed in police custody, Woods is determined to honour his fallen
friend by getting the truth out to the world even if it means putting his own life at risk.
What the critics think
“A moving film set in the time of the apartheid in South Africa. Cry Freedom is based on the true story of
the friendship of the rights campaigner Steve Biko and Donald Woods, a newspaper editor. It is a story
that inspires so much freedom just by watching it.”
Maeve Into Film clubs member, aged 11.
“The performances are excellent, the crowd scenes astonishing, and the climax truly nerve-wracking. An
implacable work of authority and compassion, Cry Freedom is political cinema at its best.”
Mark Sailisbury, Time Out
A Guide to South Africa on Film
Teacher Notes : Cry Freedom
After the film: Discussion questions
1. How is Steve Biko introduced in the
film? What effect does it have helping
you to understand who he is and what
the Black Consciousness movement
represented to those struggling under
apartheid?
2. What restrictions are placed on Biko by
the government? How does this and
other instances in the film represent
the South African justice system at the
time?
3. What does the film suggest about
journalism and the press in South Africa
under apartheid?
4. The film references the Soweto
Uprising that took place in June 1976
when a student rally against being
taught in the Afrikaans language turned
violent. Why would the students not
want to be taught in Afrikaans?
Teacher notes
1. Interestingly for a main character, the film does not
introduce Steve Biko to us straight away. Instead it carefully
builds up an impression of him through posters and
characters talking about him before eventually revealing his
face when Woods meets him for the first time. The slow
reveal sets Biko up as a legendary, anti-establishment figure
whose views force him to hide from the police. The poster
hung in the ruined township just after the police have
raided it underlines that Biko and the Black Consciousness
movement are an organisation of black people fighting
against apartheid.
2. Biko is banned from public speaking, meeting more than
one person at one time and from leaving the district of
Kings William’s Town in the Eastern Cape. Throughout the
film the judicial system is seen as relentlessly corrupt and
bigoted against black people and denying them basic
rights. Law enforcement such as police officers are
depicted as racist unethical bullies, and the judge in the
court scene argues against Biko’s views to promote white
supremacy. The Minister for Justice is also revealed to be
corrupt when he does not help Woods and supports the
cover up of Biko’s death.
3. Journalism is a tool to raise awareness of the atrocities
going on under the apartheid regime. However, the fact
that Woods and his team are largely white suggests that
mainstream newspapers were less representative of the
realities of life under segregation. Freedom of the press was
clearly closely controlled by the police - as Woods
becomes more involved with Biko and publishes his
comments in the paper Woods’ own life comes under
threat. In order to freely publish what happened to Biko,
Woods has to escape from South Africa..
4. Afrikaans is the language of white South Africans which was
strongly associated with the oppression of apartheid. The
students believed it was unfair to be taught in this language
preferring to be taught in English.
Next Steps
Get your students’ voices heard by starting an Into Film club and writing reviews at www.filmclub.org
Teacher Notes
A Guide to South Africa on Film
Catch A Fire (2006, 12) 101 mins
Universal Pictures © (1987)
All rights reserved
Enrichment Focus
Universal Pictures © (2006) All rights reserved
What’s this film about?
Despite the injustice that surrounds him, Patrick Chamusso doesn't care much about politics his goal in life is to keep his white bosses happy and do well at his job as a foreman at a fuel
refinery, and provide for his wife and two daughters. But when he is wrongly arrested as a
terrorist suspect, his attitude changes - and he commits to working to change the racist regime
that has so mistreated him.
Why this film?
This is director Phillip Noyce’s follow up to his excellent drama Rabbit Proof Fence about the
escape from virtual slavery of a trio of Aborigine girls in 1930s Australia. A fine
thriller, Catch a Fire is an compelling and original study of life in 80s South Africa that sheds
new light on those involved in struggle against apartheid.
What the critics think
“ A truly touching film with a deep, deep meaning that simply cannot be ignored”.
James Into Film clubs member, aged 16.
“Featuring excellent performances from Luke and Robbins, Catch A Fire is a mature, thought
provoking film”.
Paul Arendt, BBC Films
Teacher Notes : Catch a Fire
A Guide to South Africa on Film
A Guide to Dickens on Film
After the film: Discussion questions
1. What are the effects of apartheid that can
be seen in the film? Which do you consider
most damaging?
2. How does the film present the actions and
beliefs of the ANC? Do you think they are
justified? Were other options available?
3. What is the effect of the film’s epilogue?
Teacher notes
1. The film shows a number of restrictions placed on
black South Africans - they are unable to move freely
in the country and cannot use whites-only facilities.
When Patrick is arrested he has no right to a lawyer
and can be held indefinitely without charge He is
also subjected to mental and physical torture that
could potentially lead to psychological
repercussions.
2. A number of scenes are set in a ANC training camp
in Mozambique, in these members express a
willingness to use violence to gain freedom in South
Africa. Some may find this surprising but the film
shows the limited options available for resistance
and the violence perpetrated by the police - both in
interrogation and during a raid on the camp. It is also
made clear that Patrick’s mission was designed to
cause no human injury. The favorable depiction of
the ANC is reinforced visually through the rich, warm
colour palette used to depict the organisation which
contrasts to the dull, cold colours used for the
police.
3. The newsreel footage and voiceover can help to
contextualise the plot in the wider history of South
Africa and remind the audience that film is based on
real events. Patrick’s description of resisting the urge
to attack the policeman that tortured him
(represented by the fictional character of Nic Vos in
the film) also highlights the lasting legacy of
apartheid, physical and psychological, and the
difficulties of resisting retribution. However the style
of this sequence contrasts with the rest of the film
and may feel jarring or manipulative to some.
Students can debate whether is is necessary or if the
plot is powerful enough to stand alone.
Next Steps
Get your students’ voices heard by starting an Into Film club and writing reviews at www.filmclub.org
Teacher Notes
A Guide to South Africa on Film
The Leader, The Driver and The Driver’s Wife
(1991, 12) 84 mins
Channel 4 Television Corporation Channel 4 Television Corporation
© 1991, All rights reserved
© 1991, All rights reserved
Enrichment Focus
Channel 4 Television Corporation © (1991) All rights reserved
What’s this film about?
In 1991 documentary filmmaker Nick Broomfield spent a number of frustrating weeks trying to
secure an interview with the white supremacist Eugene Terre’Blanche. This film is the record of
his time following the leader and his encounters with the far right Afrikaner
Weerstandsbeweging (AWB) party that he led. It captures a unique moment in South Africa’s
history and the fading moments of a sinister and outmoded political group.
Why this film?
Broomfield’s presentation of himself as a hapless amateur gains him unique access to members
of the AWB, unafraid to air their shocking views - a strategy that as been much imitated since.
Through this and his deliberate attempts to infuriate Terre’Blanche Broomfield is able to expose
ridiculous, albeit chilling, nature of the AWB and its leader.
What the critics think
“Broomfield has produced an anti-Triumph of the Will, deliberately lampooning a movement
whose power rests in grave self-importance as much as violent intimidation”.
Joe Sleder, BFI Screen Online
“As well as portraying the violent rhetoric of the Leader and the blindness of his followers,
Broomfield also captures the absurd”.
Channel4.com
Teacher Notes : The Leader, The Driver and The Driver’s Wife
After the film: Discussion questions
1. Broomfield stated that he wanted to expose
the ridiculousness of Eugene Terre’Blanche
and the A.W.B., how does the film work to
do this? Do you think it is successful?
2. What can you learn from this film about the
atmosphere in South Africa at this time?
How would you describe the ideas and
mood of members of the A.W.B.? What
problems might this pose for those seeking
free elections?
3. What were your impressions of J.P. and
Anita? Did you opinion of them change over
the course of the film?
A Guide to South Africa on Film
A Guide to Dickens on Film
Teacher notes
1. Broomfield employs a number of techniques both during
filming and in editing to present the A.W.B. as an absurd, if
abhorrent, fringe organisation rather than serious political party:
- Late arrivals/ filming without permission exposes the paranoid,
egotistical, petty nature of Terre Blanche’s character
- Footage of shabby training camp exposes limited reach and
disorganised nature of party
- Footage of members drunk and telling lewd, childish jokes
undercuts their threat.
- Closing narration informs us that Terre’Blanche crashed his car
into a ditch whilst drunk- the lasting impression is of him as idiotic
with limited control.
However, reports of violence, access to explosives, as well as
J.P.’s final interview are chilling and remind the viewer of the
group’s violent aims.
2. The film was shot in 1991, shortly after Mandela’s release from
prison and during a period of great change in South Africa.
Members of the A.W.B. appear scared and paranoid about
change and the end of apartheid - this can be seen in the
discussions about interracial relationships and AIDs as well as
their unwillingness to be filmed. They are also said to be arming
themselves for combat, refusing to give up weapons and
attacking black people. This anger, fear and violence posed a
huge challenge for those aiming to have a peaceful transition to
open democracy and racial equality. Students can research and
debate how this process occurred, the challenges faced and the
actions of Mandela and others during this time.
3. J.P and Anita may initially appear amiable people with
misguided views, far less threatening than Terre’Blanche.
However during the course of filming there are suggestions that
J.P. is dishonest about his role in the AWB. When J.P. becomes
disillusioned with the party is is suggested that he has become
more moderate but in his final interview he expresses extreme,
violent opinions and intentions.
Next Steps
Get your students’ voices heard by starting an Into Film club and writing reviews at www.filmclub.org
Teacher Notes
A Guide to South Africa on Film
District 9
(2009, 15) 112 mins
TriStar Pictures © (2009)
All rights reserved
Enrichment Focus
TriStar Pictures © (2009) All rights reserved
What’s this film about?
For 20 years aliens, known as prawns, have been on earth, segregated from humans and living
in refugee camps in Johannesburg, South Africa. Wikus Van De Merwe (Sharlto Copely) is the
enthusiastic, if bumbling, bureaucrat charged with evicting them.
Why this film?
Copley does a brilliant job, moving seamlessly from comic touches to action heroics, while the
film's documentary style offers a fresh spin to the sci-fi genre. Whether you see it as just a
popcorn blockbuster or as a metaphor for racism and satirical look at South Africa, past and
present, District 9 is an exhilarating ride
What the critics think
“This film is brilliant. It brought the current issues of racism and prejudice into a new genre and
context”.
Holly Into Film clubs member, aged 16.
“ A thundering blitzkrieg of seat-rattling entertainment with a sociopolitical message; a cerebral
sci-fi and apartheid allegory that is as heavily armed with provocative ideas as it is with armourpiercing, tank-splattering torpedoes”.
Wendy Ide, The Times
Teacher Notes : District 9
After the film: Discussion questions
1. How would you describe the
conditions the aliens live in? Do they
remind you of anywhere else?
2. Why do you think the humans are able
to treat the aliens in violent, inhumane
ways with little sense of guilt?
3. How can this film be seen as a satire of
South Africa today and in the past? Do
you think this the only way to view the
film?
4. How would you describe Wikus, is he a
typical hero? Why would the
filmmakers chose to make someone
like him the lead character?
A Guide to South Africa on Film
A Guide to Dickens on Film
Teacher notes
1. The aliens live in slum conditions, in small, shabby tin huts that
are surrounded by rubbish and cut off from the rest of the city.
These conditions are reminiscent of shanty towns in many poor
countries as well as the real townships in parts of South Africa the film was shot on location in Soweto. The name District 9
also recalls District 6 in Cape Town close to the tourist hotspot
Table mountain , a cosmopolitan and artistic area where over
60,00 inhabitants of different ethnicities and religions lived and
mixed freely including a small number of Afrikaaners and white
South Africans. They were forcibly removed (and relocated to a
township in Cape Flats 25 km away) during the apartheid
regime as the government deemed it immoral due to interracial
interaction, crime and drinking. It was destroyed and became a
whites only area in 1966
2. Throughout the film the humans show the aliens little empathy
and do not afford them basic human rights. This is particularly
clear in scenes showing the ‘abortion’ of alien eggs, which
Wikus finds amusing and the experiments on alien bodies. The
language used to talk to about the aliens ‘prawns’ as well as the
assumptions made about them “ what we have is basically the
workers... they don’t think for themselves” helps humans treat
the them as objects rather than sentient beings.
3. The film has been seen as metaphor for the country under the
apartheid regime. Comparisons can be made between the way
in which the aliens are segregated and denied rights and the
treatment of black South Africans during the apartheid regime.
The treatment of the aliens and violence toward them has also
been seen as reflecting xenophobia shown toward immigrant
groups in South Africa more recently. However director Neil
Blomberg has stated that he also aimed to make an exciting
sci-fi film that can be enjoyed as entertainment.
4. Wikus is presented initially as comically dim (his surname is
common shorthand for an idiot in South African jokes) he is
bumbling, inefficient and appears to follow his brutal orders
with little thought. Placing him in a leading role perhaps
suggests that even those who are not politically engaged or
appear to be in a position of power can be adversely affect by
oppressive regimes.
Next Steps
Get your students’ voices heard by starting an Into Film club and writing reviews at www.filmclub.org
Teacher Notes
A Guide to South Africa on Film
Tsotsi (2005, 15) 94 mins
Enrichment Focus
Miramax Films © (2005) All rights reserved
What’s this film about?
Hard-hitting, Oscar-winning film about a South African gangster who finds himself in charge of a baby.
Why this film?
In the slums of South Africa's Johannesburg, "Tsotsi" means gang member, and the story here follows
one such gangster as he goes about his life of violent crime and mindless thuggery. However, when a
carjacking goes wrong, he finds himself looking after a baby boy. Faced with the responsibility for this
new life, Tsotsi is forced to take a long, hard look at his own. A powerful movie adapted from the
popular 1980 novel by Athol Fugard, that gives an accessible, engaging character through which to
understand the issues faced by young people growing up in the post-apartheid townships of
Johannesburg.
What the critics think
“I think it was a very good film as it kept showing contrasts between the slums of Johannesburg and the
rich inner city. Also, you could see how the character of Tsotsi changed throughout the film; at the
beginning he was young and by the end of end of film he had matured a lot.”
Emily Into Film clubs member, aged 14.
“Tsotsi is a compelling and uplifting tale of humanity and dignity in the starkest of environments.”
Claudia Puig, USA Today
Teacher Notes : Tsotsi
A Guide to South Africa on Film
After the film: Discussion questions
1. What type of segregation does the film suggest exists in modern day Johannesburg?
2. Watch the opening of the film - how is life in the townships presented?
3. Why do some young people in the township get involved in criminal activities? Which character
represents this the most? Is this true of all the characters?
4. If the film had been made in 30 years ago when the novel was published, in what ways would you
expect the film be different from the the book? (Encourage your students to research this further).
Teacher notes
1. The film presents Johannesburg as a city in which there is huge segregation between rich and poor in
where rich black South Africans live in gated communities and the poor black South Africans live in the
townships.
2. The colour in the opening is dark and the characters are wearing black clothing. The heavy chords of the
soundtrack increase the menacing atmosphere. Townships are found on the outskirts of towns and cities in
south Africans. In 1913 the Afrikaner government that promoted racial separation in all areas of public life,
decreed that 77% of South Africa’s land was solely for use by white people. This left the other races (black
Africans, Coloureds and Indians) with only the townships on the peripheries of large towns and rural
homelands within which to live. Since townships are not built with government assistance, there is only a
basic infrastructure without proper buildings, roads or fresh water. There are lots of homeless orphans
whose parents who have died of AIDs, school is too expensive to afford and crime is rife. However there
can be a community spirit in the townships as shown in film’s the shebeen scenes.
3. Boston is presented as an the most intelligent of the group but was unable to sit his exams because they
were too expensive for him. Through this we understand education is too costly for poor people of the
township to afford, the majority of young people therefore drop out of school without qualifications.
Unable to get a job they then fall to crime and violence to make money. This is not true of Miriam who is a
young, sensible and caring woman who despite experiencing the murder of her husband earns a living as a
seamstress.
4. In the 1980s there was not much public knowledge about AIDs and HIV so the novel does not mention it. In
the film there is a billboard in the train station about HIV/AIDS therefore the AIDS orphans living in the
drainage pipes would not be present. Mine workers such as the beggar Morris do not receive any
compensation for injuries sustained in the mines and in 2013 and 2014 miners have been on strike in the
country to gain better pay. The rich black South Africans living in gated communities would not be a
feature of the novel because this a result of a nationwide Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment
(affirmative action) policy that aimed at balancing the racial mix in skilled employment in the country and
that there are equal opportunities for black people who were previously denied such roles during apartheid.
Despite this shift there are still large number of black South Africans who are are unemployed due to
educational inequalities.
Next Steps
Get your students’ voices heard by starting an Into Film club and writing reviews at www.filmclub.org
Teacher Notes
A Guide to South Africa on Film
Invictus (2009, 12) 128 mins
Enrichment Focus
Warner Bros. © (2009) All rights reserved
What’s this film about?
In 1995, just a year after the end of the racially divisive government in South Africa, the country
hosted the Rugby World Cup. It was meant to be a big celebration, but a lot of people were
unhappy with the idea because rugby was the sport of the Afrikaans-speaking white minority
who had brutally oppressed the black majority population since the 1940s. Clint Eastwood's
drama is about how two men, President Nelson Mandela and South African rugby captain
Francois Pienaar, managed to turn the event into a success that helped bind together the
nation.
Why this film?
Invictus expertly illustrates how iconic leader Madela helped unite the peoples of South Africa
and the film also works as a stirring sports movie.
What the critics think
“This amazing film shows how two men of different attitudes, different hopes and different skin
can come together and use something so simple as the great sport of rugby and save an entire
country”.
Ioan Into Film clubs member, aged 12.
“It’s an exciting sports movie, an inspiring tale of prejudice overcome and, above al, a
fascinating study of political leadership”.
AO Scott, The New York Times
Teacher Notes : Invictus
A Guide to South Africa on Film
A Guide to Dickens on Film
After the film: Discussion questions
Teacher notes
1. Watch from 00:00:49 - 00:04:02. What
obstacles did Mandela face on his release
and as president of South Africa?
1. When he was first released he faced a divided country where
black people wanted revenge for their decades of oppression
and where Afriknaaners were concerned about their safety and
future in South Africa. As president he had to maintain peace
and rebuild his country for the good of all the people that lived
there.
2. Watch from 1.14:40 – 1.17:36. Why does
Pienaar see images of Mandela? What does
this tell us about how the country saw
him?
3. What do you make of Mandela’s dialogue
in the film?
4. Why was it symbolic for Mandela to wear
the green and gold Springboks jersey at the
World Cup Final?
2. When Pienaar visits Robben Island he is haunted by images of
Mandela in the cell and working in the prison yard, he hears
Mandela speak the words of Invictus in his head. Mandela looks
up and appears to look directly at Pienaar, as the poem
concludes with the words “I am the master of my fate, I am the
Captain of my soul.” Pienaar is inspired by both its words and
Mandela himself.
3. Much of Mandela’s rhetoric in the film is powerful and
inspirational. For example he says, “forgiveness liberates the
soul”, and “I have a very large family, of 42 million”. Mandela
himself is most moved by the images of black children training
with the South African rugby team on television, remarking
“that picture is worth any number of speeches”. This
demonstrates that the process of unification can not only be
achieved by the remarks of one man, but requires action by the
entire nation to bring it about.
4. For many black South Africans, the green and gold represented
the Springboks, but also the apartheid system from which they
had only recently emerged. This explains why they are seen
cheering for England rather than South Africa when the two
teams play each other early on in the film. Mandela saw
wearing the jersey in the same way as he looked at the entire
World Cup - an attempt to bring the country together. In his
words: “The past is the past, we look to the future now”.
Symbolism plays a very important role in the film, including the
two national anthems (which have subsequently been merged),
Mandela’s decision to have black and white bodyguards and
the World Cup itself.
Next Steps
Get your students’ voices heard by starting an Into Film club and writing reviews at www.filmclub.org
Student worksheet
A Guide to South Africa on Film
What do you like or dislike abut the
plot?
What are your thoughts about the
characters?
How do the locations where the
events are taking place affect the film?
How does the soundtrack affect your
viewing of the film?
How is colour used by the director
to create meaning?
How do the camera shots and angles
influence your opinions of the film?