''Barakat'' is a 2020

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

n family drama film directed by

Amy Jephta Amy Jephta is a South African playwright, screenwriter and theatre director. Works include ''Kristalvlakte'', ''Ellen: The Ellen Pakkies Story'', ''Other People's Lives'', ''Sonskyn Beperk'', and ''While You Weren't Looking''. She is a lecturer a ...

and produced by Ephraim Gordon. It is the first Afrikaans-language Muslim feature film produced in South Africa. The film stars

Vinette Ebrahim Vinette Ebrahim (born 21 February 1957) is a South African actress and playwright known for her role as Charmaine Meintjies in the SABC 2 soap opera '' 7de Laan.'' She is the sister of actor Vincent Ebrahim. Early life Ebrahim is the sister of ...

in the lead role and Joey Rasdien, Mortimer Williams,

Quanita Adams Quanita Adams is stage and screen actress living in Cape Town, South Africa. She has performed in the movies ''Forgiveness'' (2004, alongside Arnold Vosloo), ''Cape of Good Hope'' (2004) and ''Skeem'' (2011). She has appeared on stage in nota ...

and Keeno Lee Hector in supportive roles. Plot The film deals with family problems where an ageing matriarch brings together her fractured, dysfunctional family over

Eid-al-Fitr , nickname = Festival of Breaking the Fast, Lesser Eid, Sweet Eid, Sugar Feast , observedby = Muslims , type = Islamic , longtype = Islamic , significance = Commemoration to mark the end of fasting in Ramadan , date ...

in order to introduce her new romantic partner, after her husband's death some years ago. Production The film was shot in and around Lansdowne and Athlone on the

Cape Flats The Cape Flats ( af, Die Kaapse Vlakte) is an expansive, low-lying, flat area situated to the southeast of the central business district of Cape Town. The Cape Flats is also the name of an administrative region of the City of Cape Town, which lie ...

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

. Release The film made its theatrical premiere on 28 May 2021 in

, hosted by Vangate Mall. The film received positive reviews from critics and screened in many global film festivals. The film was selected to screen as the closing film fo
Film Africa 2020
in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, but this was later cancelled due to the second lockdown in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. The film was officially selected for 2020 Urbanworld
Black TIFF 2021
and the 2021

Pan African Film Festival Pan African Film Festival (PAFF) is a non-profit corporation in Los Angeles, California, that states its goal is to promote "cultural understanding among peoples of African descent" through exhibiting art and film. It hosts a film festival and an ar ...

as well. Box Office ''Barakat'' received many awards. In 2020, at th
Motion Pictures International Film Festival
the film won the awards for the Best Narrative Feature, Best Editing and Best Production. In the same year at the

Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema The Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema (IIFC) is an independent film festival held since 2009 in Idyllwild, California. The festival is run by its founder, director Stephen Savage. The tenth annual IIFC was held March 5 through 10, 2019. ...

, ''Barakat'' won four more awards: Mary Austin Award Excellence in Directing, Best Ensemble Cast, Best International Feature and Best Supporting Actor as well as won the Runner Up award for the Best Original Score as well. It was selected as the South African entry for the Best International Feature Film at the

94th Academy Awards The 94th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), took place on March 27, 2022, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood, Los Angeles. The awards were scheduled after its u ...

Cast

as Aisha Davids * Joey Rasdien as Zunaid * Mortimer Williams as Zaid *

as Ra-eesah * Keeno Lee Hector as Yaseen * Danny Ross as Nur * June van Merch as Fadielah *

Bonnie Mbuli Bonnie Mbuli (born 3 March 1979) is a South African actress, businesswoman, and television personality. She was a presenter on the SABC 3 show ''Afternoon Express''. Since 2020, she has starred in the BBC drama series ''Noughts + Crosses''. E ...

as Gwen

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 11564468 2020 films 2020 drama films South African drama films Afrikaans-language films English-language South African films

Cast

See also

References

External links