Meet the Director // Oliver Schmitz

This year marks the 30th anniversary of South Africa's first proper democratic election. Six years prior came MAPANTSULA, a film renowned for its portrayal of the protests and the struggle against the apartheid regime, as experienced by black South Africans.

The film was made against all odds in 1986/87, when the fight against apartheid was at its most intense. As the first anti-apartheid film produced for, about, and by black people, it stands as a miraculous opportunity to delve into the charged political atmosphere of the 1980s. MAPANTSULA was banned in its homeland but was screened at various international film festivals, including Cannes.

The film was directed by Oliver Schmitz, an award-winning South African filmmaker. He made his directorial debut with Mapantsula in 1988 and has since directed several feature films and TV series.

Author Andreas Liebe Delsett, currently working on a book about South Africa post-apartheid, will moderate a digital director's conversation on Zoom with Schmitz. The topic will be what has actually changed in the country since the film's premiere and the fall of the apartheid regime.

• Date: November 15, 2024 
• Time: 20:45
• Location: Vega 3 
• Language: English