Nthati Moshesh Movies

Filmmaker Mark Bamford explores issues of race, class, and faith in contemporary South Africa against a witty backdrop in this comedy drama. Kate (Debbie Brown) runs an animal shelter that seems to attract as many human misfits and cast-offs as dogs and cats; still dealing with the emotional fallout of being abandoned by her father as a girl, Kate welcomes both two- and four-legged friends into her shelter, but isn't quite so open with her heart, and is looking for true love after a series of busted marriages. Jean-Claude (Eriq Ebouaney) is a scientist exiled from West Africa who works at the shelter to make ends meet; while his political and economic fortunes have hit the bricks, his spirit has not, and he has a knack for charming kids, women, and vicious dogs. Lindiwe (Nthati Moshesh) is a single mother attempting to support her son and finish her education after the death of her husband, both against steep odds. Dr. Morne (Morne Visser) is a veterinarian who has also lost his spouse, and seems to carry a torch for Kate. And Habib (David Isaacs) and Sharifa (Quanita Adams) are a couple whose marriage of eight years is on the verge of collapse due to her inability to conceive, testing both their patience and their faith. Cape of Good Hope received its North American premiere at the 2004 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

An elderly man tries to achieve one of his greatest ambitions by turning a rank amateur into a champion in this drama. German-born Bertold Bohmer (Armin Mueller-Stahl) was a competitive distance runner in his youth who had one great dream -- to win the Comrades Marathon, a punishing 54-mile race that stretches between two cities through an arid desert in South Africa. Now in his mid-sixties and living in South Africa, Bohmer never achieved this goal, but as a trainer he's helped a number of other athletes achieve theirs, and he's coaching four African runners as they prepare for the Comrades. But Bohmer is abruptly fired from his training assignment, only to be replaced by a much younger man, Gasa (Paterson Joseph), who refocuses his runners in middle-distance competition. Bohmer is despondent until he discovers Christine (Nthati Moshesh), a young woman he sees jogging one day. Bohmer's trained eye tells him that she has the natural gifts and talent to win the Comrades, but he learns that she's never trained for a competitive athletic event in her life -- and she's an illegal alien from Namibia to boot. After a police raid on her home, Christine has little recourse but to accept Bohmer's invitation to stay with him, and while he spares no expense in coaching her for the Comrades, she begins to chafe under his rigorous training program; furthermore, when Gasa hears about the remarkable new runner Bohmer has discovered, he tries to convince her to join his team. Renowned South African vocal group Ladysmith Black Mambazo contributed several songs to The Long Run's soundtrack. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This drama muses upon the brotherly love that develops between best friends and the devastating effects the intervention of reality can have upon heartfelt dreams. Kini and Adams live in a dull, dusty rural South African community and both are dreaming of leaving it behind to find fortune in the big city. To this end, they begin fixing up a battered old automobile. As hardscrabble farmers, neither has money and getting car-parts is a real challenge. That Kini is married to the domineering Aida and has a daughter also presents an obstacle. But the real break between the friends happens when a rock quarry opens and the fast-witted Kini is hired as a supervisor while Adams remains a regular grunt. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide