Izulu Lami, titled My Secret Sky in English, is a 2008 South African film made in the Zulu language. It was directed by Madoda Ncayiyana. It follows the story of two children who travel to the city of Durban and become street kids after their mother dies.

Izulu lami / My Secret Sky
Directed byMadoda Ncayiyana
Screenplay byMadoda Ncayiyana
Julie Frederikse
Produced byDV8 Films
Vuleka Productions
StarringSobahle Mkhabase
Sibonelo Malinga
Tshepang Mohlomi
Sanele Ndawo
Sizwe Xaba
Israel Makoe
CinematographyMike Downie
Edited byKosta Kalarytis
Music bySazi Dlamini
Release date
  • 2008 (2008)
Running time
90 minutes
CountrySouth Africa
LanguageZulu

Synopsis

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Ten-year-old Thembi and her eight-year-old brother, Khwezi, lose their mother. Their aunt is supposed to take care of them, but once she's sold the few things they have, she disappears. The children are left with nothing but a traditional Zulu mat made by their mother before she died.[1] Taking their destiny in her hands, Thembi convinces her brother that they should go to the big city of Durban. But once they arrive, they find themselves adrift in a terrifying metropolis.[2] The very essence of Thembi and Kwezi's bonds are threatened as the city becomes a monster that threatens to completely overwhelm and defeat them.

Cast

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  • Sobahle Mkhabas as Thembi
  • Sibonelo Malinga as Khwezi
  • Tshepang Mohlomi as "Chili-Bite"

Production

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The film is based on an earlier short film, co-directed by Ncayiyana and Ouida Smit, made in 2001, The Sky in Her Eyes. This film won the Djibril Diop Mambety Prize for best African short film at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival.[3]

Release

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In December 2008, the film premiered at the Dubai International Film Festival, opening the inaugural Asia Africa section.[4]

The film was released internationally in 2009 under the title My Secret Sky.[5][3]

Awards

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Footnotes

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  1. ^ FIFP and the Dikalo Awards were established in 2006[7] by Eitel Basile Ngangue Ebelle; still in existence as of 2022.[8]

References

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  1. ^ Izulu Lami - My Secret Sky, Channel24, Shaheema Barodien, 19 August 2009
  2. ^ Another touch of heaven for local cinema, Times Live, 01 September 2009
  3. ^ a b c "Durban á la Dickens". The Mail & Guardian. 21 August 2009. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  4. ^ Landreth, Jonathan (12 December 2008). "Dubai film festival fetes Asian, African films". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  5. ^ "Izulu Lami (My Secret Sky)". Kiln Theatre. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d "Izulu lami". IMDb. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  7. ^ "About". Festival International du Film Panafricain.
  8. ^ "AFDA alumni share Best Actor Award at International Pan African Film Festival in Cannes". AFDA. 28 October 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2023.

Further reading

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