Recently I’ve had the pleasure of being part of the Durban Film Mart’s Talents programme. Basically, it means I’ve been watching a whole lot of films for the Encounters South African International Documentary Festival and the Durban International Film Festival, and reviewing them with some guidance from our mentor, Jihane Bougrine. My first review to be published is for the documentary Mother City, an on-the-ground look at the struggle for low cost housing in Cape Town’s City Centre.
“Since the dawn of democracy in South Africa in 1994, the City of Cape Town has provided no affordable housing in central Cape Town.
This is one of the most shocking points made in Miki Redelinghuys and Pearlie Joubert’s documentary, Mother City, which is set to open this year’s Encounters SA International Documentary Film Festival.
The documentary follows Nkosikhona (Face) Swartbooi and the Ndifuna Ukwazi and Reclaim The City movements over 6 years as they fight to rectify past and ongoing injustices created by Apartheid spatial planning in Cape Town.
South Africa is one of the most unequal countries in the world, and Cape Town is considered by many to be the most unequal city in South Africa. Mother City shows us why.”
Read the full review here.
