Overview
The Fugard Bioscope presented a fortnight of screenings of Moffie, a film from Portobello Productions and Penzance Films, directed by Oliver Hermanus and produced by Fugard Theatre founder Eric Abraham. The film was screened at The Fugard Bioscope from 15–29 March 2020.
The year is 1981 and South Africa’s white minority government is embroiled in a conflict on the southern Angolan border. Like all white boys over the age of 16, Nicholas Van der Swart must complete two years of compulsory military service to defend the apartheid regime. The threat of communism and “die swart gevaar” (the so-called black danger) is at an all-time high. But that’s not the only danger Nicholas faces. He must survive the brutality of the army – something that becomes even more difficult when a connection is sparked between him and a fellow recruit.
Details
First screening
15 March 2020
Final screening
29 March 2020
Venue
The Fugard Bioscope
Principal Cast
Kai Luke Brummer
Ryan de Villiers
Matthew Vey
Stefan Vermaak
Hilton Pelser
Production
Oliver Hermanus
Director
Oliver Hermanus
Jack Sidey
Writer/Screenplay
Based on the book by
André Carl van der Merwe
Eric Abraham
Producer
Jack Sidey
Producer
Philip Prettejohn
Executive Producer
Lamees Albertus
Co-producer
Genevieve Hofmeyr
Co-producer
Thérèsa Ryan
Co-producer
Braam du Toit
Music
Jamie Ramsay
Cinematography
Alain Dessauvage
George Hanmer
Film Editing
Reviews
★★★★★
“Victory for this brutal army tragedy.”
The Times
★★★★★
“Moffie has an aesthetic sweep to match Céline Sciamma’s swooning Portrait of a Lady on Fire. It is a breath-taking piece of cinema whose beauty heightens the ugliness at the heart of the film.”
The Irish Times
★★★★
“This often bruising bootcamp drama expresses the pain and uncertainty of coming out with real tenderness and subtle beauty.”
Time Out★★★★
“Hidden passions add to the brutish hell of apartheid-era South African conscripts in Oliver Hermanus’s skilfully tense drama.”
The Guardian★★★★
“It does such a thought-through, empathetic, and powerful job of exploring homophobia as part of a root-and-branch mentality in South Africa’s white patriarchal psyche.”
The Telegraph
Production photos
