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Milisuthando

(Milisuthando Bongela, 2023)

Milisuthando Bongela in person

Midwest Premiere

A photo of a middle schooler's diary with a school photo, cutout image of pizza, and the words “Dylan didn’t ask me to dance.”

Milisuthando Bongela’s bold debut is a portrait of a person, a family, a community, and a country in the aftermath of apartheid.

From 1976 to 1994, the Republic of Transkei existed as a segregated region of South Africa solely for the forcibly resettled Xhosa people. Born in Transkei in 1985, director Milisuthando Bongela grew up unaware of apartheid—and the white supremacy that created it—until after it ended. Through the expressive use of home movies and powerful archival footage, Milisuthando explores history, memory, and family, as well as what happens once Bongela begins living in a multiracial society. The film tracks a singular and universal reckoning with the legacies of race that all our ancestors have given us. This fearless first feature challenges us to examine the complexities of race and responsibility as the film itself begins to question its own production methods. Bongela’s voice is one that you’re going to want to hear! In Xhosa and English with English subtitles. (128 mins., DCP)

See the complete Unorthodocs 2023 lineup.

IMAGE CAPTION 
Milisuthando, courtesy of Rob Pollock and Francis Burger.

"Emotionally unflinching... wields a sledgehammer against history."
Robert Daniels, RogerEbert.com

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FILM/VIDEO PROGRAMS MADE POSSIBLE BY
National Endowment for the Arts
Ohio Humanities

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY
Rohauer Collection Foundation

WEXNER CENTER PROGRAMS MADE POSSIBLE BY
Ohio Department of Development
Greater Columbus Arts Council
The Wexner Family
Institute of Museum and Library Services
Ohio Arts Council
CampusParc
Ohio State’s Global Arts + Humanities Discovery Theme
The Columbus Foundation
Nationwide Foundation
Vorys, Sater, Seymour, and Pease

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY
Mike and Paige Crane
Axium Packaging
Nancy Kramer
Ohio State Energy Partners
Ohio History Fund/Ohio History Connection
Larry and Donna James
Bruce and Joy Soll
Jones Day
Alex and Renée Shumate 

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Milisuthando