Jas Boude is the best P5
SYSTEMATIC exclusion of youth in the city centre is explored in award-nominated student short film Jas Boude.
It follows “a day in the life” of the Cape Flats skateboarding collective 20sk8 as they attempt to overcome structural inequalities that continue to have a strong hold over Cape Town, film co-director Imraan Christian says.
The film, scripted but playing out in documentary form, has been nominated for best student film at the South African Film and Television Awards (Saftas). The ceremony will be held on March 18.
Directed by Christian and Georgina Warner, the movie touches on topics of the effects of the Group Areas Act, and how it is still integral to the functioning of the city.
The film also focuses on the cycle of violence on the Cape Flats, with gangsterism and drug abuse rife, and access to the city difficult for the poor.
“The film is called Jas Boude because of the many levels the saying functions on. On one level it means ‘great trick’ or ‘good vibes’, on another level it means ‘nice legs’, and then there are some secret meanings that only the 20sk8 crew knows about,” said Christian, of Grassy Park, adding he finds the film’s nomination “exciting”.
The 23-year-old UCT graduate, who has also documented the evolution of the student #FeesMustFall and RhodesMustFall movements, said the film was at its height of relevance because of the current socio-political discussions around the student protests.
On shooting the movie, with the group spending time in areas such as Mitchells Plain, Bonteheuwel and Kuils River, he sees the city centre as an exclusionary space.
“For some to travel into the city (CBD) it’s almost impossible and these are systematic issues. As young people, we are supposed to be free, and Cape Town should represent us as a people. But the reality is quite the opposite. It’s a false dream.”
Watch the video here: https://m.youtube.com/watch ?v=4vTCMfNqeTI lisa.isaacs@inl.co.za
@lisa_isaacs