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Oliver Schmitz: Defying Censorship
Manage episode 407329136 series 3559461
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Oliver Schmitz is a South African director and screenwriter, who found fame in 1988 with the release of ‘Mapantsula’. It is considered to be the first anti-apartheid feature film by, for and about black South Africans, and tells the story of Panic, 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.
The film originally debuted in the Official Selection at the Cannes Film Festival to massive critical acclaim and is often studied in film schools due to its artistic value and expression of the South African struggle.
Since it was filmed under apartheid, Oliver had to provide a fake script to the authorities to gain approval for its filming. Since then, Oliver has made several other feature films, including 'Shephards and Butchers' starring Steve Coogan, and ‘Life Above All', which was selected as the South African entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 83rd Academy Awards.
'Mapantsula' has been recently restored and was shown at the Berlinale earlier this year under its Classics Section - Oliver takes ‘Create Incredible’ through the process of putting this film back together, how working in a nightclub influenced his politics, and the ways that his team had evade the authorities whilst filming 'Mapantsula'.
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