Action Kommandant
Nadine Angel Cloete
South Africa | 2016 | 90 min
European Premiere
Languages : English, Afrikaans
Subtitles : English, French
Ashley Kriel, a young activist and key figure of the anti-apartheid liberation struggle, was killed by the police at the age of 20, thus becoming a symbol of South African resistance. Known as the “Cape Flats Che Guevara”, after the disadvantaged suburb of Cape Town, Kriel organised protest demonstrations in his school from the age of 13 onwards. His numerous actions and strong commitment contributed to revolutionising the young working class.
This brave and necessary first feature-length film by Nadine Angel Cloete fills the important pages of the history of the South African struggle, which have been left blank far too long. Through this passionate portrait which brings together precious and new archive images, and thanks to the testimonies of Kriel’s friends and family and other resistance figures, we discover not only the life of a young defender of liberty who became an icon, but also the tormented history of a country marked by over 40 years of violent racial segregation. An essential film that also teaches us not to forget.
Jasmin Basic
