Search a film or person :
FacebookConnectionRegistration
Mapantsula is a film of genre Drama directed by Oliver Schmitz released in USA on 3 december 1989

Mapantsula (1988)

Mapantsula
If you like this film, let us know!
Released in USA 3 december 1989
Length 1h44
Directed by
Genres Drama,    Crime
Rating67% 3.3785753.3785753.3785753.3785753.378575

Mapantsula is a 1988 South African crime film directed by Oliver Schmitz and written by Schmitz and Thomas Mogotlane. It tells the story of Johannes ‘Panic’ Themba Mzolo (Mogotlane), a small-time thief, set against the backdrop of Apartheid. The film’s use of flashbacks between Panic’s time at the hands of his apartheid jailor ‘Stander’ (Marcel Van Heerden) and happenings in the Johannesburg township of Soweto display the injustices black South Africans suffered during apartheid and their struggle for suffrage. The film makes extensive use of political rallies, police brutality, and racial difference to example the effects of apartheid on black South Africans. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival. The film was selected as the South African entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 62nd Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.

Synopsis

Mapantsula begins with cut-scenes between a heated protest and several police vehicles transporting apprehended black South Africans. There is a voice in the background saying that they have violated the Internal Security Act by gathering without permission and inciting a riot. Here we first see Panic who is herded with the rest of the prisoners, including women and children. He is put in a cell with eight other men.

Trailer of Mapantsula

Bluray, DVD

Streaming / VOD

Source : Wikidata

Comments


Leave comment :

Suggestions of similar film to Mapantsula

There are 3 films with the same director, 66940 with the same cinematographic genres (including 8660 with exactly the same 2 genres than Mapantsula), to have finally 70 suggestions of similar films.

If you liked Mapantsula, you will probably like those similar films :
Hijack Stories, 1h34
Directed by Oliver Schmitz
Genres Drama, Crime
Themes Films about terrorism, Films about hijackings
Actors Rapulana Seiphemo, Carl Beukes
Rating64% 3.2372953.2372953.2372953.2372953.237295
En Afrique du Sud, dix ans après la fin de l'Apartheid, Sox Moraka (Tony Kgoroge), un jeune noir sappé comme un rappeur et à l'attitude décontractée, est fiancé à une fille blanche et vit dans un luxueux appartement du quartier blanc de Johannesburg, où il passe le plus clair de son temps à animer des émissions de clips vidéo. Souhaitant devenir une star de cinéma, il passe une audition pour jouer le rôle de Bra'Biza, un braqueur de voitures, mais on lui fait remarquer qu'il n'a pas le vécu nécessaire pour incarner un tel héros. Humilié par le réalisateur blanc qui le vire sans ménagement, Sox décide de se rendre dans les townships de Soweto afin d'appréhender au mieux son futur personnage, et même si pour cela il risque de tout perdre : le confort, la liberté, la vie.
Life, Above All, 1h40
Directed by Oliver Schmitz
Genres Drama
Themes Medical-themed films, HIV/AIDS in film
Rating70% 3.541043.541043.541043.541043.54104
Dans la poussière d’un township proche de Johannesburg, Chanda douze ans, découvre à la mort de sa sœur à peine née, qu’une rumeur enfle dans le voisinage, détruit sa famille, et pousse sa mère à fuir. Devinant que ces commérages se nourrissent d’a priori et de superstition, Chanda part à la recherche de sa mère et de la vérité…
Dirty Weekend, 1h47
Directed by Dino Risi
Genres Drama, Thriller, Comedy, Crime
Actors Marcello Mastroianni, Oliver Reed, Carole André, Lionel Stander, Bruno Cirino, Nicoletta Machiavelli
Rating61% 3.094223.094223.094223.094223.09422
Fabrizio, Raùl et Sylva dévalisent une banque et tuent le gardien. Ils sont repérés par la police près d'une station service et prennent alors en otage Giulio Borsi, un industriel romain qui partait en week-end avec sa maîtresse Danda. La police se lance à leur poursuite, à bonne distance.
3-Iron
3-Iron (2004)
, 1h28
Directed by Kim Ki-duk
Origin Coree du sud
Genres Drama, Crime, Romance
Actors Lee Seung-yeon, Jae Hee, Joo Jin-mo, Park Ji-a, Joo Jin-mo
Rating78% 3.948773.948773.948773.948773.94877
Tae-suk (Jae Hee) is a loner who drives around on his motorbike, taping takeout menus over the keyholes of front doors and breaking into apartments where the menus have not been removed. He lives in those apartments while their owners are away, washing their clothes and mending their broken appliances. When he breaks into one large home, he is unaware that he is being watched by an abused housewife Sun-hwa (Lee Seung-yeon). Tae-suk leaves after making eye contact with Sun-hwa, but then returns. He witnesses Sun-hwa's husband abusing her and proceeds to catch his attention by practicing golf in the yard. He hits Sun-hwa's husband with golf balls and then leaves with Sun-hwa.
Holy Rollers, 1h29
Directed by Kevin Asch
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Comedy-drama, Crime
Themes Films about religion, Films about Jews and Judaism
Actors Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Bartha, Ari Graynor, Hallie Eisenberg, Q-Tip, Jason Fuchs
Rating58% 2.949592.949592.949592.949592.94959
Sam Gold (Jesse Eisenberg), is a mild-mannered 20-year-old Orthodox Jewish man who lives with his large family in the Borough Park section of Brooklyn. Sam works in his father's fabric store while studying to be a rabbi. He and his family hope to arrange a marriage for him with Zeldy Lazar. However, Sam's family is much poorer than the Lazars, and he worries he will be unable to provide for them.
Man on Fire, 2h20
Directed by Tony Scott
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Action, Crime
Themes Children's films
Actors Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Christopher Walken, Giancarlo Giannini, Radha Mitchell, Marc Anthony
Rating76% 3.848453.848453.848453.848453.84845
In 2003, burnt-out ex-CIA officer and former U.S. Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance officer John Creasy (Denzel Washington) looks for work and reunites with old friend and comrade Paul Rayburn (Christopher Walken), who runs a security firm in Mexico. Because of the extremely high rate of kidnappings in Mexico City for ransom money, businessman Samuel Ramos (Marc Anthony) hires Creasy through Rayburn to guard his nine-year-old daughter "Pita" (Dakota Fanning), intending to keep him on for only a short period in order to renew his kidnap and ransom insurance on Pita. Creasy suffers from alcoholism, depression and severe guilt as a result of his past work as a counterinsurgency fighter and assassin, and so works for Samuel at a rate far below what his experience would command. At first Creasy distances himself socially from Pita, but the two soon develop a friendship, which allows Creasy to overcome his demons and to act as a mentor and surrogate father-figure to the girl.
Bad Education, 1h45
Directed by Pedro Almodóvar
Origin Espagne
Genres Drama, Thriller, Crime, Romance
Themes Films about films, Films about writers, Films about children, Films about religion, Films about sexuality, Films about television, L'usurpation d'identité, LGBT-related films, Films about pedophilia, Transgender in film, Escroquerie, LGBT-related films, LGBT-related films about religion, LGBT-related film
Actors Gael García Bernal, Fele Martínez, Daniel Giménez Cacho, Javier Cámara, Lluís Homar, Leonor Watling
Rating73% 3.6997953.6997953.6997953.6997953.699795
In Madrid in 1980, Enrique Goded, a young film director, is looking for his next project when he receives the unexpected visit of an actor looking for work. The actor claims to be Enrique's boarding school friend and first love, Ignacio Rodriguez. Ignacio, who is using now the name Ángel Andrade, has brought with him a short story titled "The Visit" hoping that Enrique would be interested in making a film out of it giving him the starring role. Enrique is intrigued since "The Visit" described their time together at the Catholic school and it also includes a fictionalized account of their reunion many years later as adults.
Mean Creek
Mean Creek (2004)
, 1h29
Directed by Jacob Aaron Estes
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Action, Adventure, Crime
Actors Rory Culkin, Ryan Kelley, Scott Mechlowicz, Trevor Morgan, Josh Peck, Carly Schroeder
Rating70% 3.5483053.5483053.5483053.5483053.548305
When small and shy Sam (Rory Culkin) admits to his older brother Rocky (Trevor Morgan) that the school bully, a dyslexic boy named George (Josh Peck), has hurt him because Sam moved George's video camera while George was filming himself playing basketball, Rocky devises a plan to exact revenge on George.