Pittsburgh Film Festival
September 9-17, 2005Friday, September 9
8:00 pm Melwood Screening Room
THE SWENKAS
Director: Jeppe Ronde
Documentary. 2004. Denmark. 72 min. Zulu and English, subtitled.
Pittsburgh Premiere
In post-Apartheid South Africa a small group of working Zulu men every Saturday night leave their grimy overalls behind and wear their best Carducci or Pierre Cardin suits to impress the weekly selected judge. The men are called the Swenkas, and they have run this fashion show for so many years that no one knows exactly when-or even why-it all began. The youngest Swenka, Sabelo, is in the most turbulent time of his life. He has to bury his father just a week before Christmas and only a week before his own wedding. But Sabelo's father was also "father" of the Swenkas, and now Sabelo and his fellow Swenkas find themselves in a state of incertitude. The Swenkas are the film's direct entry to the darkest downtown of contemporary Johannesburg, one of the most violent cities on earth. But the Swenkas are about to tell a totally different story from within that very place-a story of hope.
On Friday, September 9th the film will be followed by a discussion with Dr. Ellen Dorsey, Amnesty International Board Member, Adjunct Professor of International Policy at Carnegie Mellon University, Fulbright Scholar in 1992 to South Africa. In addition, Dr. Dorsey has done extensive research and publication on South Africa and Human Rights issues.
Filmmakers/Distributors Contact Information:
Matt Henderson
matt@7thart.com
Friday, September 9th, 8:00 pm and Saturday, September 10th, 5:30 pm, Melwood Screening Room