{"id":258,"date":"2019-07-27T07:48:31","date_gmt":"2019-07-27T05:48:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pta-online.co.za\/pretoria\/?p=258"},"modified":"2021-02-03T13:36:28","modified_gmt":"2021-02-03T11:36:28","slug":"gauteng-film-commission-history-of-movies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pta-online.co.za\/pretoria\/entertainment\/gauteng-film-commission-history-of-movies\/","title":{"rendered":"Gauteng Film Commission: History of Movies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

12 March 2009 – Since 1896 cinema has enjoyed a strong presence in Gauteng. It was \nfirst introduced as “the most startling scientific marvel of the age”. \nGauteng was home to a flourishing local production industry during 1916 \nand 1919, but by the 1920’s the popularity of American films had \noverwhelmed the fledgling industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Films were a popular source of\n entertainment during the 1920s and 30s. As a form of propaganda they \nwere shown in mines to distract miners and keep them from the more \n‘dangerous’ of the city’s pursuits. Later, they became a source of \ninspiration and style to the vibrant, hybrid communities of Sophiatown, \nLady Selbourne and Marabastad, where they provided access to dancing, \nAmerican culture and jazz. Poets and writers such as Don Mattera and \nEs’kia Mphahlele learned and refined their English in cinemas. Local \ngangsters derived their dress, speech and attitude from American films. \nThe late introduction of television in 1976 kept cinemas far busier than\n their European and American counterparts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This rich cultural \nlegacy was sadly eroded over subsequent decades as many black artists \nwere forced into political exile and filmmakers working within the \ncountry increasingly wore the brunt of archaic apartheid censorship \nlaws. Some of the most significant South African feature film \nproductions of the 1950s through to the late 1980s were dominated by \napartheid and its injustices. Donald Swanson’s Jim comes to Joburg \n(1949), Zoltan Korda’s Cry the Beloved Country (1951), Lionel Rogosin’s \nCome Back Africa (1959), Sven Persson’s Land Apart (1974), Gibson \nKente’s How Long (1976), David Bensusan’s My Country, My Hat (1982), \nOliver Schmitz’ Mapantsula (1988) and Sir Richard Attenborough’s Cry \nFreedom (1987) are stark reminders to some of the country’s darkest \nmoments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many films during the 1990s continued to focus on the \nlegacy of apartheid and the political transition period. Anant Singh and\n Darrell Roodt rose to fame with Sarafina! (1992) as well as their \nadaptation of Cry the Beloved Country (1995), whilst internationally \nrenowned artist William Kentridge used the stark industrial landscapes \nof Johannesburg in his acclaimed charcoal-drawn animated short films to \nexplore the dramatic intersections of land, history, conflict and \nidentity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The local feature film industry since a new democratic \ndispensation has experienced somewhat of a rebirth with an increasing \nbroadening of themes. The recent successes of films such as the Academy \nAward winning Gavin Hood’s Tsotsi and Tristan Holmes’ Elalini, Jason \nXenopoulos’ Promised Land, Roodt’s Faith’s Corner, Zola Maseko’s Drum and John Barker’s Bunny Chow are indicative of a ‘new wave’.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sandra Olivier <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Premium<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Sandra Olivier<\/a> Gauteng Film Commission<\/a>, your gateway to the Gauteng world of big film ideas and perfect locations. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

12 March 2009 – Since 1896 cinema has enjoyed a strong presence in Gauteng. It was first introduced as “the most startling scientific marvel of the age”. Gauteng was home to a flourishing local production industry during 1916 and 1919, but by the 1920’s the popularity of American films had overwhelmed the fledgling industry. Films…<\/p>\n

Read More<\/span>+<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":259,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment"],"yoast_head":"\nGauteng Film Commission: History of Movies - Pretoria Online<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pta-online.co.za\/pretoria\/entertainment\/gauteng-film-commission-history-of-movies\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Gauteng Film Commission: History of Movies - Pretoria Online\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"12 March 2009 – Since 1896 cinema has enjoyed a strong presence in Gauteng. 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