Junior Singo Movies
The many emotional scars left by South Africa's history of institutionalized racism come under the microscope in this drama. As South Africa comes to terms with the legacy of apartheid, their government has created the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, in which the perpetrators of racial violence and injustice must come face to face with their victims if they are to be forgiven for their crimes. Langston Whitfield (Samuel L. Jackson) is an African-American journalist who is assigned to cover these hearings by The Washington Post; Whitfield doubts the efficacy of this process, and sets out to interview Col. De Jager (Brendan Gleeson), a notorious former officer of the South African police who was famous for his violence against blacks in order to put this method to the test. While in South Africa, Whitfield meets Anna Malan (Juliette Binoche), an Afrikaner poet who is covering the hearing for a radio station and is both appalled and disturbed by the details of the violence inflicted against her countrymen. After striking up a friendship, Whitfield and Malan become romantically involved as they try to come to terms with their feelings about what they've learned. Also screened under the title Country of My Skull, In My Country was adapted from a book by South African author Antjie Krog. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Samuel L. Jackson, Juliette Binoche, (more)
From director David Hickson comes this drama about a young African's cross-country journey. Set in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, Beat the Drum stars Junior Singo as Musa, a boy who has been orphaned by a plague that swept through his village. Now living with his elderly grandmother, Musa decides to seek out his uncle in Johannesburg, taking along only a drum given to him by his father. The trip proves to be enlightening for young Musa, who is faced with the culture shock of urban society. Also starring Clive Scott and Owen Sejake, Beat the Drum premiered at the 2003 Mill Valley Film Festival. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Junior Singo, Owen Sejake, (more)
A young boy and his best friend learn that a simple choice can alter the entire course of a lifetime in this introspective English-language drama from South African filmmaker Ntshavheni Wa Luruli. When Madiba and Sipho discover the dead body of a man clutching a briefcase that contains a gun and a video camera, Sipho's fate is sealed when he reaches for the gun and the introverted Madiba's artistic aspirations are unlocked when he begins to see a new world through the lens of the video camera. As Sipho descends into a life of crime, the challenges of life in post-apartheid South Africa slowly begin to come into focus for young Madiba. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
