Africa News

Skoonheid goes to Windhoek

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:11

The poster for Skoonheid

AfricAvenir presents the Namibian premiere of the award-winning South African Afrikaans language film, Oliver Hermanus’ Skoonheid, on 25 February at 7pm at Studio 77, Old Breweries Complex, Windhoek.

A panel discussion with invited speakers will take place after the screening.

Skoonheid (Beauty) is the story of a man who is the product of apartheid and feels excluded from the new South Africa. Raised within the confines of conservatism, Francois van Heerden carefully constructs his life to achieve societal approval, but experiences a sterile existence that fills him with profound regret and the conviction that his is a wasted life. Things change when he meets Adonis, the son of an old friend.

The film exposes the private shames and secret obsessions of a conservative, white, Afrikaans man. It is a study in regret, lust and self-destruction. This film is a distinctive lens on society’s obsession with beauty.

Skoonheid recently made history by being the first Afrikaans film to be shown at the Cannes Film Festival. The fifth local director to show at Cannes, Hermanus’ movie was screened in the “Un Certain Regard” section of Cannes’ official selections, which runs alongside the Palme d'Or. It subsequently won the won the Queer Palm Award during the festival.

The film was also South Africa’s official entry into the Oscars category for Best Foreign Film. The announcement was made in September 2011 by the South African Academy Selection Committee under the patronage of the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF).

Skoonheid’s awards include: Best South African Feature, Durban International Film Festival 2011; Special Mention Award, Durban International Film Festival 2011; and Best Actor, Deon Lotz, Zürich International Film Festival 2011.

AfricAvenir thanks its financial sponsors and kind supporters of this event: The Federal German Foreign Office, the Finnish Embassy in Namibia, Studio 77, Bank Windhoek Arts Festival, the Franco Namibian Cultural Centre, WhatsOnWindhoek, Wolfram Hartmann, Edwin Bassingthwaighte, and other individuals.

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