Nothing But The Truth
2:49
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An impassioned and compelling debut feature film from award winning South African actor and writer John Kani. This gripping story is a forthright indictment on the Truth and Reconciliation process in post-Apartheid South Africa, yet also serves as a poignant memoir of a fractured family trying to come to terms with the past and present.
Tags: Nothing But The Truth African Film African Cinema South Africa South African Film Apartheid John Kani
Added: 3 years ago
From: AfricanFilmLibrary
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NARRATOR: In post-apartheid South Africa, what do truth and reconciliation mean to one ordinary man?
[scene opens with an older man riding on a bus]
NARRATOR: The remarkable John Kani makes his directorial debut.
[another man sitting next to him leans close]
PASSENGER: [translated] Has your brother's body arrived from overseas?
SIPHO: [translated] Yes, we are going to fetch him soon.
[cut to slow-motion footage of Sipho getting off the bus]
NARRATOR: In a tale of a simple man dealing with a new and far more personal struggle.
[cut to Sipho sitting in a car while his daughter drives]
TANDO: Why did uncle Themba go into exile?
[he says nothing]
TANDO: Were you close?
[he doesn't even look at her]
SIPHO: With who?
TANDO: With uncle Themba, dad!
SIPHO: He's dead.
TANDO: Before! Ugh, before he left the country!
SIPHO: Why are you always asking me these questions?
NARRATOR: A story examining the fallout of activism and exile. The rivalry between siblings.
[cut to Sipho and his daughter waiting at the airport, when another young woman walks up to them]
MANDISA: Uncle Sipho?
[he shakes her hand, then she turns to his daughter]
MANDISA: Tando?
TANDO: Yes! Welcome home, my sister!
[they hug, then cut to a man speaking to the three of them]
PRIEST: We must go now, to Aphrite, to collect the body.
NARRATOR: The clash between tradition and modernity.
[cut to Mandisa handing Sipho an urn]
MANDISA: Here he is ...
SIPHO: [pause] Where's the coffin?
[she simply shrugs]
MANDISA: There isn't one.
SIPHO: What about my brother?
MANDISA: [pause] This is your brother.
[she looks around at everyone, not understanding the confusion]
MANDISA: He was cremated.
SIPHO: Cremated? What about the people who are coming to see him?! I have arranged a funeral! I bought an ox!
NARRATOR: The tensions between the past and the present.
[cut to Sipho and his daughter talking]
TANDO: And about Luvuyos? The policeman who shot him? Do you forgive him?
[he says nothing, then cut to more scenes from the movie]
NARRATOR: Based on the critically lauded play, by the Tony Award winning master of the stage, comes a new South African story.
[cut to Mandisa and Tando walking past a bar at night]
MANDISA: Oh, "Sky's Place!" Daddy always used to talk about it! Come on, let's go inside!
TANDO: We can't.
MANDISA: Oh, but ... I might not have another chance.
TANDO: We can't, Mandisa.
MANDISA: Oh, I just wanna take a quick squizz! I wanna see what it's like!
TANDO: We have a funeral tomorrow, you can't be seen going in there!
[she runs towards the entrance, and Tando chases after her]
TANDO: Mandisa!
["Best Film, Youande Film Festival, 2009" appears on screen]
["Best African Film, Milan International Film Festival, 2009" appears on screen]
["Silver Stallion Award, Fespaco Film Festival, 2009" appears on screen]
[cut to more scenes from the film]
NARRATOR: Nothing But the Truth.
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From columbia.edu:
Nothing But The Truth is a gripping investigation into the complex dynamic between those blacks who remained in South Africa and risked their lives to lead the struggle against apartheid and those who returned victoriously after living in exile. In New Brighton, South Africa, 63-year-old librarian Sipho Makhaya prepares for the return of the ashes of his brother Themba, recently deceased while in exile in London after gaining a reputation as a hero of the anti-apartheid movement. Internationally recognized, multiple award-winning actor John Kani is the lead actor in this film version of the internationally acclaimed award winning play Nothing But The Truth which he also authored.
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From imdb.com:
Nothing But the Truth (2008)
92 min - Comedy | Drama - 1 November 2009 (South Africa)
Internationally recognized, multiple award-winning actor John Kani is the lead actor in this drama which he also directed. Nothing But The Truth is a gripping, sometimes funny investigation into the complex dynamic between those blacks who remained in South Africa and risked their lives to lead the struggle against apartheid and those who returned victoriously after living in exile.
John Kani ... Sipho
Rosie Motene ... Mandisa
Motshabi Tyelele ... Tando
Grethe Fox ... Chief librarian
Bhekwi Mkhwane ... Undertaker
Hugh Ngcobo ... Chairperson
Ian Adendorff ... Amnesty seeker
Koobeshan Naidoo ... Advocate
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From lct.org:
In New Brighton, South Africa, 63-year-old Sipho Makhaya, Assistant Chief Librarian at the Port Elizabeth Public Library, has watched his life of dashed hopes slip by. Initially interested in becoming a lawyer after finishing high school, Sipho instead felt obligated to help pay for his younger brother, Themba, to attend university. Sipho's anger and resentment toward Themba, brewing since childhood, comes to a head when Themba dies while in exile in London after gaining a reputation as a hero of the struggle against apartheid.
As NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH begins, Sipho and his daughter Tando are preparing for the arrival of Themba's daughter, Mandisa, as she travels for the first time from England to South Africa with her father's body for burial. At the same time, Sipho is waiting to learn whether he will be appointed to the position of Chief Librarian, a promotion that has been his life-long dream.
Sipho's daughter and niece inundate him with questions about people he has refused to talk about for decades: Sipho's brother, whom he never saw or spoke to after he went into exile; Sipho's wife, who left Sipho and Thando almost thirty years ago; and Sipho's son, who was killed during the student uprisings. Provoked by Mandisa's and Tando's relentless curiosity, Sipho finally succumbs and decides to divulge to them his secrets, telling them the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
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