Inside South African Cinema- The Apartheid Years - Art, Resistance & Control
The African Cinema Podcast
In this episode of The African Cinema Podcast, we explore how South African cinema evolved under the shadow of apartheid — from state-sponsored propaganda to underground resistance films.
From the rise of strict censorship in the 1960s to the emergence of anti-apartheid films like Mapantsula and Sarafina!, this episode unpacks how filmmakers used the screen as a battlefield for truth, survival, and freedom.
Whether it was through coded critique, smuggled scripts, or global co-productions, cinema during apartheid was never neutral — it was either complicit or courageous.
🎬 In This Episode, You'll Learn:
How apartheid policies shaped film production and censorship
The role of the Publications Control Board in banning and editing films
How state-backed institutions like SANLAM and SABC controlled media narratives
The emergence of the B-scheme film system and its limitations
Key figures like Jans Rautenbach, Simon Sabela, Anant Singh, and Oliver Schmitz
Why Mapantsula and Place of Weeping became turning points in South African film history
- How Sarafina! brought the Soweto Uprising to global audiences
🧠 Key People Discussed:
Jans Rautenbach – Pioneer of Afrikaans psychological cinema
Simon M. Sabela – First Black South African film director (U'Deliwe)
Darrell Roodt – Director of Place of Weeping and Sarafina!
Anant Singh – Producer of numerous anti-apartheid films
- Oliver Schmitz – Director of Mapantsula
🏛️ Key Institutions Mentioned:
Ster Films / Kinekor
Publications Control Board
SANLAM Insurance Group
SABC (South African Broadcasting Corporation)
- B-scheme Production System
🎥 Featured Films:
Katrina (1969)
Boesman and Lena (1973)
U'Deliwe (1974)
Mapantsula (1987)
- Sarafina! (1992)
🎧 Tune in and discover how cinema became a weapon of both oppression and defiance.