Film Afrika Worldwide (South Africa): 3

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (2013) is a biographical film, directed by Justin Chadwick and penned by William Nicholson. Starring Idris Elba and Naomie Harris, the movie is based on the autobiography of anti-apartheid activist and former South African President Nelson Mandela. It follows Mandela’s journey from his youth to his time in prison and eventual presidency, as he works to rebuild a country torn apart by the oppressive system of Apartheid. Nelson Mandela, a ...

The autobiography film, Goodbye Bafana (2007), was based on the book Goodbye Bafana: Nelson Mandela, My Prisoner, My Friend, which was criticized by Anthony Sampson, a longtime friend of Nelson Mandela who has since passed away. In his authorized biography of Mandela, Sampson accused James Gregory (also deceased) of lying and violating Mandela’s privacy in his work. According to Sampson, Gregory did not have a close relationship with Mandela and instead used censored letters to fabricate one. Other prison ...

The made-for-television drama film, Mandela and de Klerk (1997), was written by Richard Wesley and directed by Joseph Sargent. In a highly publicized trial on June 12, 1964, Nelson Mandela and several other political detainees received life imprisonment sentences, making it the most famous treason case in South Africa’s history. Their imprisonment on Robben Island became a powerful symbol of the fight against apartheid and the quest for freedom for black South Africans. Nearly three decades later, on February 2, 1990, President F.W. De Klerk announced the ...