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Mapantsula was the first anti-apartheid feature film by, for and about black South Africans. Filmed inside Soweto, Mapantsula tells the story of Panic, a petty gangster who spends his days grafting and stealing from unsuspecting Whites and brawling with rivals in Black bars, with a little police informing on the side. All around him, Soweto residents are mobilising a rent strike. Inevitably, he's caught up in the growing anti-apartheid struggle, having to choose between individual gain and a united stand against the system. Like a classic blaxploitation film with a political edge, Mapantsula is an insider's tour of township life and a foretaste of the vibrant culture promised by the new, democratic South Africa. It was also an Australian co-production, through executive producer David Hannay. Print comes courtesy of the National Film and Sound Archive.
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D Oliver Schmitz P Max Montocchio S Thomas Mogotlane, Oliver Schmitz WS David Hannay L Zulu, English, Sotho, Afrikaans w/English subtitles TD 35mm/1988/104mins