Film
Nelson Mandela: The Myth & Me
D: Khalo Matabane, Documentary, ZA/D 2013, 84 min
o. v. English, subt. English
Khalo Matabane questions his childhood hero, Nelson Mandela, pictures of whom were officially forbidden at the time. Although raised to idealize Mandela without reservation, the filmmaker finds himself faced with ever greater doubt. Did Mandela’s policy of reconciliation go too far? If so, what is the price the country must pay? Interviews with international figures deal with the continuing controversy surrounding the myth of Mandela.
Khalo Matabane is an award winning filmmaker, author, and producer. His docufiction “Conversations on a Sunday Afternoon,” which examines the situation of refugees in South Africa, was part of the official program at the Toronto Film Festival and won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the 2006 Berlinale. “State of Violence” (2010), his first feature film, was widely praised by critics at numerous film festivals including the Toronto Film Festival and the Berlinale. His new film, “Nelson Mandela: The Myth and Me,” a documentary film about the controversies surrounding Mandela’s policy of reconciliation, was released in 2013.