"Hard-edged but beautifully wrought study of clashing Xhosa models of masculinity will be an eye-opener to outsiders — and some South Africans too."
Guy Lodge - Variety
TFL Awards
TFL Production Award 2014 (€ 50.000)
TFL Audience Design Fund 2017 (€ 40.000)
consultancy with TFL experts Emanuela Barbano and Greta Nordio - Turin, November 2017
The TFL Funds are supported by the Creative Europe – MEDIA Programme of the European Union
festivals & awards
World Dramatic Competition, Sundance Film Festival 2017
synopsis
Eastern Cape. A lonely factory worker, Xolani, travels to a secluded
mountain camp near his rural home to participate in a traditional
Xhosa initiation into manhood. He is tasked with mentoring Kwanda,
a gay teenager from Johannesburg who has grown estranged from his
traditional culture. In a ceremony supervised by older men, Kwanda
and five other initiates are ritually circumcised. Over the weeks that
follow, Xolani tries to teach his rebellious initiate about the ways
of Xhosa manhood, but his life is thrown into crisis when Kwanda
discovers his secret. Xolani is in love with his best friend Vija, a married
man from a nearby village.
info
original title
Inxeba
genre
Drama
country
South Africa, Germany, Netherlands, France
running time
88’
produced by
Urucu Media - South Africa
in co-production with
Riva Filmproduktion - Germany
Das Kleine Fernsehspiel - Germany
ARTE/ZDF - Germany
Oak Motion Pictures - Netherlands
Cool Take Pictures - South Africa
Deuxième Ligne Films - France
Sampek Productions - France
Edition Salzgeber - Germany
Figjam Entertainment - South Africa
directed by
John Trengove
written by
John Trengove, Thando Mgqolozana, Malusi Bengu
sales
Pyramide International
