Documentaries on Square Nelson Mandela would love
Two gripping documentaries are screened as part of this year’s Johannesburg Film Festival.
Although The Johannesburg Film Festival has ended, the recollections are fresh from two informative documentaries made in recent years.
Sandton’s Theatre on the Square served as a venue for two screenings on March 2 – Umkhonto We Sizwe: Mandela’s Secret Army, an hour-long doccie-film directed by Cameroonian filmmaker Oswalde Lewat at 15:00, and the Oscar-nominated documentary 20 Days in Mariupol by Ukrainian filmmaker Mstyslav Chernov at 19:30.
Umkhonto We Sizwe: Mandela’s Secret Army created a platform for engagement on the violent history of South Africa, how apartheid led to the formation of ‘the spear of the nation’ movement in the early 60s, and told personal stories of MK members during the struggle.
The screening was well-attended by delegates who played pivotal roles in South Africa’s revolution for democratic independence. After the screening, former MK assassin Jabu Masina was joined by fellow Umkhonto We Sizwe soldiers of yore – Ronnie and Andy Kasralis, Totsie Mememla, Zola Maseko, Mac Maharaj and Dudu Msomi, and Mavuso Msimang.
Later that same evening, Theatre on the Square screened Chernov’s 20 Days in Mariupol – a documentary shot from a Ukrainian perspective chronicling the early days of the Russian war in Ukraine. Chernov followed Ukrainian members of the Mariupol community, spending evenings with them in bunkers – as well as long days with them through shelling activities.
Both documentaries looked into the lengths people can go to in order to not only survive, but live fruitful lives in peace and shared opulence with their fellow peoples, respectively.
Related article: Highlights from the Johannesburg Film Festival
