''Shepherds and Butchers'' is a 2016 South African
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...
directed by
Oliver Schmitz
Oliver Schmitz (born 1960) is a South African film director and screenwriter.
His film '' Mapantsula'' was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival. His 2010 film '' Life, Above All'' was also screened in t ...
. It was shown in the Panorama section at the
66th Berlin International Film Festival.
It is an adaptation of the
debut novel
A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...
of the same name by Chris Marnewick, a New Zealand-based author and former
South African High Court barrister and judge.
Plot
Nearing the end of ''
apartheid
Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
'' in South Africa, a young white prison guard (Garion Dowds) embarks on a seemingly motiveless shooting that sees to the death of seven unarmed black men. A British-born lawyer assigned to his case (
Steve Coogan) sets out to prove his actions were a direct result of psychological trauma from his volatile work environment. The defense attorney is an ardent opponent of the death penalty.
Cast
*
Steve Coogan as John Weber - Defence attorney
*
Andrea Riseborough as Kathleen Marais - Prosecutor
* Garion Dowds as Leon Labuschagne - Defendant
*
Deon Lotz
Deon Lotz (born 20 July 1964)["Deon Lotz"](_blank)
''TVSA: The South African TV Authority.'' Retrieved 20 ...
as Warrant Officer Rautenbach - Prison officer
* Marcel van Heerden as Justice J. P. van Zyl - Chief Judge
* Robert Hobbs as Pierre De Villiers - John's Brother-in-law
Awards
The film received third place in the Panorama Audience Award at the
66th Berlin International Film Festival.
References
External links
*
*
2016 films
2016 drama films
2010s English-language films
English-language South African films
South African drama films
South African crime drama films
Films directed by Oliver Schmitz
Films about capital punishment
Apartheid films
Courtroom films
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