MILISUTHANDO
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Born in 1985 in the Transkei, director Milisuthando Bongela grew up in the midst of apartheid without knowing anything of its existence until its fall. The supposedly independent state that emerged as a dream of the apartheid regime in South Africa, the Transkei was a racially segregated area in south-eastern South Africa that was dissolved in 1994 after the fall of the regime. MILISUTHANDO is a deeply personal documentary essay. Using archival footage, interviews with her relatives, personal reflections and her relationship with her grandmother and ancestors, the filmmaker explores the structures in which she grew up.
With director Milisuthando Bongela in attendance
MILISUTHANDO Direction: Milisuthando Bongela, DCP, OmeU, 128 min
Guest
Milisuthando Bongela (born 1985 in South Africa) is an award-winning writer, editor, cultural manager and artist. She began in the fashion industry, then explored the fields of music, art, media and film over the last 15 years, constantly turning to indigenous knowledge. For three years, she was cultural editor of the Mail & Guardian's Friday edition and hosted and co-produced the podcast "Umoya: about African spirituality" with Athambile Masola. Her first film, MILISUTHANDO, is a personal essay-documentary that premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. She is one of the first recipients of the Adobe Women at Sundance Fellowship 2020.