Hot Docs

Meanwhile in Mamelodi

Screenings

Sat, Apr 28 4:00 PM
Cumberland 2

Not Available

75 minutes | Germany South Africa | (Subtitled) English Sotho Zulu | North American Premiere | Rating: PG

South Africa, 2010. How close can one be to the World Cup soccer celebrations without really being a part of it? In District 11, one of the poorest of Mamelodi—a former Blacks-only township near Pretoria where people still make do without paved roads, electricity or running water—Steven Mtsweni follows the competition on his blurry black-and-white TV as if watching a man land on the moon for the first time. Meanwhile, mere miles away, the rest of the world celebrates. This intimate and moving portrait of a man struggling to make ends meet while tending his kiosk and looking after his young son, teenaged daughter and mentally ill wife, reminds us that while life isn’t easy, there’s always a reason to keep hope. Juan Baquero