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Dovey, Lindiwe (2014) 'Fools (Ramadan Suleman, 1997): or, the importance of being able to tell 'messy' stories at the 'wrong' time.' In: Bisschoff, Lizelle and Murphy, David, (eds.), Africa's Lost Classics: New Histories of African Cinema. London: Legenda, pp. 107-112.

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Abstract

Ramadan Suleman and Bhekizizwe Peterson's film Fools (1997) occupies a vital place in South African and cinema history as the first feature-length fiction film made by black filmmakers in post-apartheid South Africa. However, Fools is far from a dry academic analysis; it has all the energy of the township community itself. Lead actor Patrick Shai, a well-known television personality in South Africa, spent time chatting to his community in shebeens (township bars) to find out how they thought he should play the role of Zamani. For a film dealing with such horrific subject matter as rape, there are also scenes of great warmth and humour. Fools can best be appreciated when viewed in conjunction with other South African and African films. By taking De Voortrekkers and Fools as bookends to twentieth-century film production in South Africa, one can see just how revolutionary Fools' 'introspective criticism'.

Item Type: Book Chapters
SOAS Departments & Centres: Departments and Subunits > School of Arts > Department of the History of Art & Archaeology
Legacy Departments > Faculty of Languages and Cultures > Centre for Film Studies
Legacy Departments > Faculty of Languages and Cultures > Department of the Languages and Cultures of Africa
ISBN: 9780367598945
DOI (Digital Object Identifier): https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315097534-12
Date Deposited: 30 Mar 2015 08:49
URI: https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/id/eprint/19643

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