Vital time capsule': Thembi Mtshali on 4K Mapantsula' at BerlinaleSpike Lee: It's about time a feature film presents South Africa from a black perspective. Mapantsula does that and much more'.
by Cornelia Le Roux
07-03-2023 12:12
in Entertainment
South African director and screenwriter Oliver Schmitz, who co-wrote Mapantsula', and actress Thembi Mtshali-Jones. Image: Talia Hamid / Supplied
Veteran South African-born actress and producer Thembi Mtshali-Jones took the anti-apartheid cult classic Mapantsula to the Berlin International Film Festival which concluded on 26 February.
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Berlin saw Mtshali-Jones not only celebrate the 35th anniversary of the first anti-apartheid film about the black experience in South Africa, Mapantsula, but also rubbing shoulders with Hollywood elite.
The 73-year-old award-winning actress played Pat, a domestic worker who goes against the status quo in the film which was restored in 4K resolution for its world premiere on 21 February at the Berlinale.
Thembi Mtshali-Jones as Pat and Thomas Mogotlane as Panic in the 1988 film Mapantsula'. Image: Supplied Mapantsula 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.
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Mapantsula made a massive impact on political cinema and pop culture and brought African cinema to the forefront of industry conversations.
Film critic Jason Sanders calls it a vital time capsule of protest, street culture and pride .
ALSO READ: Video nasties: What films have been banned in South Africa?
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Mapantsula': First anti-apartheid feature film According to Africanfilmny, Mapantsula was filmed inside Soweto, scored to the urban beat of township jive , it has been called a South African The Harder They Come.
Mapantsula tells the story of Panic (Thomas Mogotlane), a petty gangster who inevitably becomes caught up in the growing anti-apartheid struggle and has to choose between individual gain and a united stand against the system.
International praise for Mapantsula' 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 day-to-day routine of life in a black neighbourhood, and the galvanising spirit of black South African music are all powerfully felt. THE NEW YORK TIMES
ALSO READ: Berlin film fest to beam in Zelensky for opener with Sean Penn
Migration to digital platform a milestone to reach younger audiences This is huge, especially for the younger audiences who were not able to experience the film the first time around, Mtshali-Jones enthused about the 4K resolution restoration of the film.
What a time to be living in the digital era! The migration of Mapantsula to digital platforms is a milestone. It's a leap forward on how far we've come when I think of my earlier days as an actress.
Mapantsula was my first experience of the film and cinema world. The natural evolution to digitise earlier movies will enable young audiences to see how far we have come in telling powerful stories, said Mtshali-Jones.
Thembi Mtshali-Jones at the premiere of Steven Spielberg's The Fabelmans' at the Berlin Film Festival (Berlinale). Image: Supplied / Justin Nanak
Mtshali-Jones on Steven Spielberg's The Fabelmans' Mtshali-Jones cited attending the premiere of Steven Spielberg's semi-autobiographical work, The Fabelmans, as one of the highlights of her attendance of the film festival. She also witnessed the legendary director being awarded with the Honorary Golden Bear, an award recognising his lifetime achievement.
Steven spoke about how he was honoured to receive the lifetime award but stressed that his life and his work were not over. He has an incredible filmography spanning decades and it reminded me of commonality among artists, said the acclaimed actress who herself has an impressive list of accolades spanning her almost 40-year career.
We are often so consumed with the projects that we are sometimes taken aback to realise that people have been watching all this time. The individual projects take precedence.
ALSO READ: Spielberg channels inner child at Berlin film festival
Oliver Schmitz: Relevance of Mapantsula' today as strong as 35 years ago' This view is shared by award-winning South African film director and screenwriter Oliver Schmitz, who believes that the film was not celebrated in its own time or place of origin. Mapantsula was written by Schmitz and Thomas Mogotlane.
It is an honour to have the restoration of Mapantsula premiere at the Berlin film festival in the Berlinale Classics section. The film's relevance today is as strong as 35 years ago and I think that is why even young generations, especially in South Africa, love the film.
I am proud we achieved making a film that back then, was thought impossible to make. I and my co-writer Thomas Mogotlane wrote a fake script to avoid harassment from the police and to evade the authorities. I wish he and many others involved who have since passed, were around to see their work presented once again in this fantastic restoration which will bring the film alive to cinema audiences in 4K with enhanced sound for the wonderful soundtrack.
This restoration is a tribute to all who participated in this venture which was dangerous at the time and to the countless others who fought the oppressive system, said Schmitz
WATCH: Mapantsula' Berlinale 2023 trailer
Mapantsula originally debuted in the Official Selection at the Cannes Film Festival to massive cri
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Vital time capsule': Thembi Mtshali on 4K Mapantsula' at BerlinaleSpike Lee: It's about time a feature film presents South Africa from a black perspective. Mapantsula does that and much more'. 
