Watch Exclusive Clips From 4K-Restored Version of ‘Mapantsula’ Ahead of Cinema Run
With the upcoming cinema run of a restored Mapantsula, the timeless story of resilience and an unbroken spirit will reach a new, younger audience.
‘Mapantsula’ was banned by the apartheid government in South Africa at the time of its original release, and is set to be discovered by younger audiences with its 4K-restored version.
Thirty-five years after its original release, a 4K restoration of the anti-apartheid classic Mapantsulascreened in the Classics section of last year’s Berlinale. Now, the film is set to open theatrically, starting at the BAM Rose Cinemas in Brooklyn on July 26 and American Cinematheque in Los Angeles on July 28, with more cinemas to follow.
Directed by Oliver Schmitz, Mapantsula tells the story of the petty gangsta, Panic, played by the late Thomas Mogotlane, who gets caught up in the struggle for freedom. The film was banned by the apartheid government at the time after screening just once. For several years, Schmitz dedicated himself to restoring the film and he believes this version better captures its themes.
“I always wanted the film to be vibrant because it's about resilience and it's about an unbroken spirit,” Schimtz told OkayAfrica last year. “Despite everything that apartheid threw at people, it’s about spirits that refuse to be broken.”
In new exclusive clips ahead of its theatrical run, viewers can see glimpses of the wonderful storytelling and great acting that instantly qualified Mapantsula as a classic. In one clip, Panic and two of his buddies trail a white man till they rob him of his purse in broad daylight and with witnesses around.
In another, Panic steals a sleek business suit from a fashion store, and when he’s questioned by old ladies on the bus he escapes into, he tells them he’s a traveling executive, even though his mischievousness is evident.
As Schmitz said last year, Mapantsula will find relevance amongst new audiences because, beyond its location specifics, the moral quandary its main character has to face is a relatable dilemma to everyone. “I don't think the world has necessarily become a better place. It has its ups and downs. Right now, we’re living in very uncertain times. So yeah, I think that there is a good message in there about how not to be broken by a bad situation.”
Watch the trailer for Mapantsula below:
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