Fireworks Logo

Trailers...

  • Fraternity
  • Pillion
  • Strike (The)
  • Four Stars
  • Children of Silver Street (The)
  • Spying Stars
  • Weightless
  • Foreign Lands
  • Dinner with Friends
  • Other 300: Army of Lovers (The)
  • All There Is
  • Last Night I Conquered the City of Thebes
  • Until the Silence
  • Sun Ra: Do the Impossible
  • Revelations of Divine Love
  • Red Mask (The)
  • Queer as Punk
  • Skiff
  • Come Together: Art's Power for Change
  • Ayô
  • House of Guinness
  • Rob & Rylan's Passage to India
  • Place Where I Belong (A)
  • House with Two Dogs (A)
  • Drea & Cloe
  • We Put the World to Sleep
  • Snare of Evil
  • Martinez, Margaritas and Murder!
  • Julian
  • Home (The)
  • Before/After
  • Our Wildest Days
  • Renaître
  • Mag Mag
  • Boalândia
  • Brave the Dark
  • Alphabet Soup
  • Queens of the Dead
  • Marc by Sofia
  • Dolores

Life, Above All

Country: South Africa | Germany, Language: Sotho, 100 mins

Original Title

Le Secret de Chanda
  • Director: Oliver Schmitz
  • Writer: Dennis Foon; Allan Stratton
  • Producer: Greig Buckle; Martin Hämer

CGiii Comment

The denial, the gossip, the witchcraft, the poverty, the corrupt, the impatient, the helpless, the hopeless...

There are also the brave - who all should be applauded, rewarded and helped...

This is Africa, this is heartbreak, this is happening....

Life, above all...


Trailer...

 

The(ir) Blurb...

In the dusty small town of Elandsdoorn, a South African township not far from Johannesburg, life is simple and serene. A prevailing sense of deep pride tightly bonds together the entire community - but beware to those who step out of line ... 12-year-old Chanda is a hardworking promising young student with a bright future, but her life changes dramatically when her baby sister unexpectedly dies. Heartbroken, Chanda's mother, Lillian, in turn becomes severely ill. Her stepfather drowns himself in alcohol, leaving the young girl to take care of her two smaller siblings. Meanwhile, the formerly friendly neighbors become increasingly distant and gossip spreads. "Auntie" Tafa does what she can to help by getting Lillian to leave town, but not even "Auntie" is immune to the cloud of fear filtering across Elandsdoorn.

Cast & Characters

Khomotso Manyaka as Chanda;
Keaobaka Makanyane as Esther;
Harriet Lenabe as MRS. TAFA;
Lerato Mvelase as Lillian;
Tinah Mnumzana as Aunt Lizbet;
Aubrey Poolo as Jonah;
Mapaseka Mathebe as Iris;
Thato Kgaladi as Soly;
Kgomotso Ditshweni as Dudu;
Rami Chuene as Aunty Ruth;
Jerry Marobyane as Mr. Pheto;
Tshepo Emmanuel Nonyane as Mr. Lesole;
Johanna Refilwe Sihlangu as Mrs. Lesole;
Vusi Muzi Given Nyathi as Mr. Nylo;
Patrick Shai as Dr. Chilume