Kunene, Vusi

Cry, The Beloved Country

This moving 1995 adaptation of Alan Paton's celebrated novel stars James Earl Jones as a beloved, rural minister in South Africa who makes his first trip to Johannesburg in search of his son. The latter's destiny has been linked with that of a doomed, young white man, whose racist father (Richard Harris) is approached by Jones's character in the spirit of mutual understanding. Directed by Darrell James Roodt (Sarafina!), the film is most powerful in those scenes featuring Harris and Jones together, though early sequences grounded in the hard life and times of Jones's community are colorful and dramatic. It's impossible not to be touched by the cautious but real connection made between the principal characters and by the moral authenticity of the actors. --Tom Keogh

Anti-apartheid story about a black man in South Africa charged with the killing of a white who had devoted his life to justice for the blacks. The parents of these two work to find the truth.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 25-JAN-2005
Media Type: DVD

Diamond Hunters

Set against the backdrop of Africa's Emerald Coast and diamond mines, Diamond Hunters traces the torrid fortunes of a family unable to forgive and forget. Johnny, a successful diamond hunter, gets sucked back into a family that had been his own, before the patriarch, Jacob Van der Byl, abandoned him 20 years ago. Painful memories of an unjust father and a long lost love come back to reality as Johnny is pitted against his own half-brother Benedict in a fight over two women, a diamond empire and ultimately, his very survival.

The King Is Alive

"Stunning" (The Village Voice), "stylish" (Los Angeles Times) and "potent" (Variety), this exquisitely crafted film charts the tale of ten hapless tourists lost in the heart of the African desert. Compelling performances from a "strong international cast" (The Hollywood Reporter) highlight this "original, epic vision [that] reacquaints us with the mystery of what it isto be human" (Film Quarterly)! When their bus breaks down in the middle of the Namibian desert, a mismatched group of travelers meets the absurdity of their situation head onby staging an impromptu production of "King Lear." But as tempers flare, passions ignite and their hopes of rescue dwindle, they soon begin to realize that in the heart of the African wilderness, the only thing more fearsome than Mother Nature is human nature.

The Air Up There [Region 2]

Kevin Bacon stars in this quickie sports film that's really more a culture-clash comedy. He plays an assistant coach at the college-basketball level who's looking for that big, big recruiting score and finds it in a distant African village. But his quarry, a seven-footer (Charles Gitona Maina) he spots in an anthropology film, turns out to be the prince of his tribe who's in line for the crown and has no interest in becoming fodder for Sports Center. So it's up to the callous American to convince him that he wants to give this all up to live in a dorm and chase coeds (while, of course, honoring his ancestors). Unfortunately, the jokes are stale and the basketball footage is nothing to get excited about. --Marshall Fine

The Air Up There

Kevin Bacon stars in this quickie sports film that's really more a culture-clash comedy. He plays an assistant coach at the college-basketball level who's looking for that big, big recruiting score and finds it in a distant African village. But his quarry, a seven-footer (Charles Gitona Maina) he spots in an anthropology film, turns out to be the prince of his tribe who's in line for the crown and has no interest in becoming fodder for Sports Center. So it's up to the callous American to convince him that he wants to give this all up to live in a dorm and chase coeds (while, of course, honoring his ancestors). Unfortunately, the jokes are stale and the basketball footage is nothing to get excited about. --Marshall Fine

Final Solution

The King Is Alive [Region 2]

Kini and Adams

Spain released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada. Languages: o Spanish (subtitles) o English (Dolby Digital 2.0) o Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0) Synopsis: This drama muses upon the brotherly love that develops between best friends and the devastating effects the intervention of reality can have upon heartfelt dreams. Kini and Adams live in a dull, dusty rural South African community and both are dreaming of leaving it behind to find fortune in the big city. To this end, they begin fixing up a battered old automobile. As hardscrabble farmers, neither has money and getting car-parts is a real challenge. That Kini is married to the domineering Aida and has a daughter also presents an obstacle. But the real break between the friends happens when a rock quarry opens and the fast-witted Kini is hired as a supervisor while Adams remains a regular grunt. Special Features: o Filmographies o Interactive Menu o Scene Access