Thuli’s film comes home

Whispering Truth to show at festival

A film on the life of former public protector, Advocate Thuli Madonsela, will officially open this year’s Encounters Film Festival.

Following its world premiere at the Toronto Documentary Festival, Whispering Truth To Power by human rights lawyer Shameela Seedat will now be screened on home soil.

Encounters runs from May 31 to June 10 in different venues in Cape Town and Johannesburg. The film follows the life of SA’s first female public protector as she builds her second case against former president Jacob Zuma.

Through the story of Madonsela, her office and children, the film carefully navigates the major forces at play in SA today, charting various contested lines in the battle against corruption and inequality.

Seedat said in a statement: “Post-apartheid South Africa has thrown out a messy and complex reality that we, here at home, are keen to confront.

“I am keen to bring another type of African character to the international documentary audience. A strong, superlawyer-woman in a position of power.”

This year, the focus in on the “Power of Womanhood”, which is reflected in over 40 films.

Another must-see film is Sisters of the Wilderness, a film by Karin Slater. It is about five Zulu women from underprivileged backgrounds who go on a journey of self-discovery.

Other films that will be shown at the festival include Not In My Neighbourhood, The Price of Everything, Life Is Wonderful: Mandela’s Unsung Heroes, This Is Congo, and Standing On Their Shoulders, among others.