Silverton Siege
Silverton Siege is a South African film directed by Mandla Dube. It is based on the real life siege that took place in Silverton, Pretoria in 1980. The film was released internationally on Netflix on 27 April 2022.[1]
Silverton Siege | |
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Directed by | Mandla Dube |
Produced by |
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Starring |
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Cinematography | Shaun Harley Lee |
Music by | Rashid Lanie |
Production company | Pambili Media |
Distributed by | Netflix |
Release date |
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Running time | 100 minutes |
Country | South Africa |
Languages |
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According to African Folder, one of the film's strengths is the performances of its three leads, Calvin, Aldo, and Terra. The actors give their characters depth and nuance, making them feel like real people with complex motivations and emotions. Their performances are especially noteworthy during the tense standoff at the national bank, where they convey their characters' fear, desperation, and determination with intensity and authenticity.[2]
Plot
Three anti-apartheid freedom fighters who form part of Umkhonto WeSizwe find themselves in a police set-up whilst on a sabotage mission. After they find refuge in a local bank within Silverton, they have to decide amongst themselves who sold them out. As tensions rise and the police presence outside gets increasingly more serious, they come to the arrangement that they will release the bank customers turned hostages over in exchange for the immediate release of then-imprisoned Nelson Mandela.
Cast
- Thabo Rametsi as Calvin Khumalo
- Noxolo Dlamini as Mbali Terra Mabunda
- Stefan Erasmus as Aldo Erasmus
- Arnold Vosloo as Captain Johan Langerman
- Tumisho Masha as Sechaba, pilot
- Michelle Mosalakae as Rachel
- Elani Dekker as Christine, supervisor
- Shane Wellington as Cornelius Washington, American boxing promoter
- Deon Coetzee as Schoeman
- Justin Strydom as Hans
Production
The film had officially been in development for two years as of 2019. Upon reading about the real life Silverton Siege of 1980, Dube became inspired and began developing a script with fellow American Film Institute alumnus Sechaba Morojele as editor. Dube said the film would be about 60% factual, and that they would use creative license for the rest, wanting to make it "an entertaining story, not a documentary". Principal photography took place on location in Pretoria. Production received funding from the National Film & Video Foundation.[3]
The cast was announced alongside the release date announcement in March 2022; Thabo Rametsi, Noxolo Dlamini, and Stefan Erasmus would star as the Silverton trio alongside Arnold Vosloo, Tumisho Masha, Michelle Mosalakae, and Elani Dekker.[4]
Reception
On review website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 75% based on 8 reviews, with an average rating of 5.9/10.[5]
References
- Grater, Tom (10 March 2022). "Netflix To Release South African Thriller 'Silverton Siege' To Coincide With Freedom Day". Deadline. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
- "Silverton Siege: A Cinematic Roller Coaster". African Folder. 28 April 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
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(help) - Kemp, Grethe (31 March 2019). "A Silverton Siege movie is coming". City Press. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
- Ramachandran, Naman (10 March 2022). "Netflix Sets Free Mandela Movement-Inspired Film 'Silverton Siege'". Variety. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
- "Silverton Siege". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
External links
- Silverton Siege at IMDb
- Silverton Siege on Netflix
- Silverton Siege at Rotten Tomatoes
- Silverton Siege at Metacritic
- Silverton Siege - a short overview of the actual Silverton Siege, 1980