South African film culture, like so much of its public life, has
undergone a tremendous transformation during its first decade of
democracy. Filmmakers, once in exile, banned, or severely restricted,
have returned home; subjects once outlawed by the apparatchiks of
apartheid are now fair game; and a new crop of insurgent filmmakers are
coming to the fore.
This extraordinary volume presents twenty-five in-depth interviews with
established and emerging South African filmmakers, collected and edited
by Audrey Thomas McCluskey. The interviews capture the filmmakers'
spirit, energy, and ambition as they attempt to give birth to a film
culture that reflects the heart and aspirations of their diverse and
emergent nation. The collection includes a biographical profile of each
filmmaker, as well an introductory essay by McCluskey, pointing to the
themes, as well as creative differences and similarities, among the
filmmakers.