MAPANTSULA TRAILER LINK – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9302lJK5hI&t=27s DOWNLOADABLE MAPANTSULA STILLS – https://we.tl/t-bCxWjBraQJ PRESS KIT: https://www.filmmovement.com/userFiles/uploads/films/mapantsula/mapantsula-press.pdf CREDIT: © Oliver Schmitz – Courtesy of What The Hero Wants (WTHW)
This is the first time Mapantsula will play in it’s country of origin it uncensored form – the newly restored 4K version of the film will premiere for the first time nationwide – the screenings have been made possible by an innovative and radical distribution partnership between London Based distributor/production company, WHAT THE HERO WANTS (WTHW) and The Durban International Film festival, along with participating theaters chains including Ster Kinekor and CineCentre.
The film will have a premier event on the 10th of August at CineCenter’s Killarney location in Johannesburg. The press are invited to cover the historic occasion, which will host the cast and crew of the film amongst over prominent voices in the arts and culture space.
The deal was brokered by Festival Manager, Andrea Voges and What The Hero Wants, Co-CEO Aaryan K. Trivedi. The August screenings will be co-distributed by AB Moosa’s Nolava International Film Distribution .
Mapantsula is widely considered the first true anti-apartheid film and upon it’s premier in the 1988 Cannes Film Festival it opened to massive critical acclaim and praise for its artistic value and raising awareness of the South African struggle – in its original form was banned from release in South Africa – as a result the main audience the film was made for, the majority were never able to watch it. The 2023 4K restoration was produced earlier this year by Oliver Schmitz and Aaryan K. Trivedi for WHAT THE HERO WANTS (WTHW).
The film follows the story of Panic, a gangster, who only looks out for himself, until he is faced with systematic abuse and a choice whether or not to stand up against it and fight the system. The film originally debuted in the Official Selection at the Cannes Film Festival to massive critical acclaim and garnered international praise for its artistic value and its efforts in raising awareness of the South African struggle.
Mapantsula made a massive impact on political cinema, pop culture and bringing African cinema to the forefront of industry conversations.
This is potentially the first time a festival has taken a major role in co-distributing a film nationwide in theaters, bringing the festival to all major provinces of the country.
QUOTES FROM OLIVER SCHMITZ (FILM DIRECTOR), THEMBI JONES (ACTRESS) AARYANK K. TRIVED (CO-CEO OF WTHW), ANDREA VOGES (FESTIVAL MANAGER)
The Director Oliver Schmitz had this to say about the upcoming 2023 South African release, “I am delighted that Mapantsula is finally being seen in South Africa the way it should have been 35 years ago. Mapantsula was made against all odds by brave actors and a team. We celebrate and honor those who are no longer there but who will never be forgotten. First and foremost we honor Thomas Matsobane Mogotlane, Dolly Rathebe, Lloyd Lelosa, Nana Coyote Motijoane and Mesh Mapetla. We are proud to have worked together, we are proud of our achievement.”
Dr. Thembi Mtshali-Jones, the lead actress in Mapantsula shares “”This moment is full circle and emotional. I threw myself into the role of Pat on Mapantsula as a young actress in my 1st feature film. I told a story and set it out into the universe, it was for a time such as this that this movie comes back home. We shot Mapantsula at great risk, as artists, and as a result of the then apartheid laws and government, the movie was never shown in South Africa. For it to be shown on home soil is not only a dream come true for me, its also a movie that holds up the baton of victory for a freedom we fought for and our heros such as Nelson Mandela were willing to die for. Welcome home Mapantsula.”
WTHW CO-CEO, Aaryan K. Trivedi adds “ When considering how the film should be released – we strongly felt that it should be a celebration and event. We want to find ways to innovate the distribution process and movie going experience – So when discussing the potential of bringing the festival to every province with this film – we decided with the rebellious nature of the making of the film – it feels appropriate that its release should be radical and special too.“
AB Moosa, CEO of Nolava International Film Distribution said, “We are excited to bring Mapantsula back to its country of origin in its uncensored form. This film holds immense historical and cultural significance for South Africa, and it is a privilege to be part of the distribution and exhibition process, with one of its first screenings at our cinemas, Suncoast CineCentre under the auspices of the Durban International Film Festival. We hope that audiences across the nation willembrace this opportunity to experience this iconic film that sheds light on the struggles of our past.”
AB added “As Mapantsula returns home in its uncensored form, it represents a triumphant moment for South African cinema and an opportunity for audiences to engage with their own history”
Don’t miss out on this chance to be a part of the nationwide screenings of Mapantsula, starting on 18th August as we bring this important piece of South African cinema to local audiences.
Andrea Voges, Durban Film Festival Manager director “Mapantsula is not just a movie; it is a cultural touchstone that tells the story of a nation’s struggle against Apartheid. We are proud to be part of this radical distribution partnership that celebrates and honours this pivotal film and brings the festival experience country-wide, making it more accessible to all. We hope it inspires filmmakers to keeping telling stories that matter.”
Earlier in May during the Cannes Film Festival , What The Hero Wants and Film Movement announced that Film Movement Classics has acquired all North American rights, where they too plan to bring the film back to the theater screens across the USA.
NOTABLE QUOTES ABOUT MAPANTSULA
‘Amandla! The power is ours!’
ALICE WALKER
‘It’s about time a feature film presents South Africa from a black perspective.
Mapantsula does that and much more.’
SPIKE LEE
‘Authentic, Vibrant, Real, and everyone should see it’
BBC, CARYL PHILLIPS
‘A Devastating attack on apartheid.. A moral drama in disguise…Our conscience and
sense of outrage are ripped open.’
LOS ANGELES TIMES
‘It gets far closer to the sights, sounds, smells and rhythms of Soweto life than an
entire Attenborough of white liberal movies. Needless to say, it’s banned from SA
cinema screens.’
TIME OUT
‘A Masterpiece… Mapantsula has been called “the first anti-apartheid feature film by,
for and about black South Africans” ’ BBC CULTURE
‘A terrific movie… Even more remarkable than CRY FREEDOM and A WORLD
APART.’
THE GUARDIAN
‘The interaction between blacks and whites in street scenes, the galvanizing spirit of
black South African music are all powerfully felt’
THE NEW YORK TIMES
‘Now, 35 years later, and given its historical relevance, the movie has been restored and
selected to be showcased at the 73rd edition of the Berlinale in the classics section.’
GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS
‘Mapantsula is so vibrant and vivid that you can practically smell the streets of
Soweto.’
BBC, NICHOLAS BARBER
‘The themes of the film remain relevant today’
FORBES AFRICA
‘Mapantsula made a massive impact on political cinema, pop culture and bringing
African cinema to the forefront of industry conversations.’
LIVE FOR FILMS
‘A Trojan Horse of a film – an attack on apartheid disguised as a gangster thriller’
OKAY AFRICA
‘ingeniously made under the noses of the South African apartheid censors’
SAM DIENER
‘Of enormous historical significance’
JACQUELINE MAINGARD
‘A terrific movie dealing with love, life and death in the ghettos of Soweto.’
CASTELLINARIA
For additional information OR interviews, please contact:: AARY@WTHWFILMS.COM