CRY FREEDOM FILM ORGANIZER:
NAME: ______________________
Contemporary Issues
Part 1:
General Film Discussion Topics / Questions:

When Biko makes his speech at the football game it is quite a while before
the camera picks him out and zooms in on him. For what purpose would the
director make this decision?

How are the torture and death of Steve Biko presented?

How is the funeral of Steve Biko presented in the film?

Why are the flash backs of Steve Biko after his death important?

Would the story of Steve Biko have been better presented in documentary
form? Give reasoning.

What is your impression of Steve Biko at the end of the film?

What is the name of the postal worker who takes Donald Woods across the
boarder into Lesotho? What is the symbolic reference?

Why is the last scene of the film not about the Woods family flying to
freedom?
Part 2: Using the Graphic Organizer on the next page, answer the following questions.


Give students a three-component graphic organizer with each component
labeled: "Apartheid, Thoughts/Emotions and Black Consciousness".
Have students take note of the following in the appropriate column while
viewing:
1. What restrictions on Black South Africans by Apartheid does the film show?
2. What feelings and emotions do the black South Africans display in the film?
3. What solutions does Black Consciousness, as explained in the film, provide for
both Apartheid and people’s feelings?
Page 2
Cry Freedom Graphic Organizer
Comments
Apartheid
Thoughts/Emotions
Black
Consciousness