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Tsotsi - Presley Chweneyagae, Mothusi Magano, Israel Makoe, Gavin Hood
Threat advisory: Elevated - Significant risk of entertaining activities
Movie propaganda
Hope set him free.
Set amidst the sprawling Johannesburg township of Soweto - where survival is the primary objective - Tsotsi traces six days in the life of a ruthless young gang leader (Presley Chweneyagae) who ends up caring for a baby accidentally kidnapped during a car-jacking.
Tsotsi is a gritty and moving portrait of an angry young man living in a state of extreme urban deprivation. His world pumps with the raw energy of "Kwaito music" - the modern beat of the ghetto that reflects his troubled state of mind.
The film is a psychological thriller in which the protagonist is compelled to confront his own brutal nature and face the consequences of his actions. It puts a human face on both the victims and the perpetrators of violent crime and is ultimately a story of hope and a triumph of love over rage.
"Tsotsi" literally means "thug" or "gangster" in the street language of South Africa's townships and ghettos. "Kwaito" is South Africa's equivalent of Hip Hop.
Theatrical propaganda posters
Target demographic movie keyword propaganda
- Film South Africa township crime teen kidnap shooting ghetto abuse cycle car-jack gun shoot gang violence
Persons of interest
- Presley Chweneyagae .... Tsotsi
- Mothusi Magano .... Boston
- Israel Makoe .... Tsotsi's father
- Percy Matsemela .... Sergeant Zuma
- Jerry Mofokeng .... Morris
- Benny Moshe .... Young Tsotsi
- Nambitha Mpumlwana .... Pumla Dube
- Zenzo Ngqobe .... Butcher
- Kenneth Nkosi .... Aap
- Thembi Nyandeni .... Soekie
- Terry Pheto .... Miriam
- Ian Roberts .... Captain Smit
- Rapulana Seiphemo .... John Dube
- Owen Sejake .... Gumboot Dlamini
- Zola .... Fela
- Athol Fugard .... Author
- Gavin Hood .... Screenwriter
- Gavin Hood .... Director
Cinematic intelligence sources
- Tsotsi official movie site
- Tsotsi film production notes
- Tsotsi QuickTime movie trailers
- Awards and film festivals:
- Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS - Oscars) 2005: Won: Best foreign language film of the year
- Bangkok International Film Festival 2006: International Competition
- British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) 2005: Nominated: Carl Foreman Award for special achievement by a British Director, Writer or Producer in their first feature film (Peter Fudakowski - Producer), Film not in the English language (Peter Fudakowski, Gavin Hood)
- Edinburgh International Film Festival 2005: Won: Audience award, Best new British feature film
- Film Critics Circle of Australia 2006: Nominated: Best Foreign Language Film
- Hollywood Foreign Press Association (Golden Globes) 2005: Nominated: Foreign Film (South Africa)
- Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2006: Horizons
- Toronto International Film Festival 2005: Won: People's Choice Award (Gavin Hood)
- NB: Afrikaans, Xhosa and Zulu languages with English language subtitles
- Studios and distributors:
Intelligence analyst
Special Agent Matti
Theatrical report
Tsotsi is a good film about poverty-stricken teenagers becoming minor crime lords but it's not as good as City of God (Ciudad de Deus).
Media intelligence (DVD)
- Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
- Languages: Afrikaans, Xhosa, Zulu
- Picture: Widescreen
- Special features:
- Documentaries: Making-of
- Trailers: Theatrical
- Subtitles: English
Security censorship classification
M (Moderate violence, moderate coarse language, moderate themes)
Surveillance time
94 minutes (1:34 hours)
Not for public release in Australia before date
Film: 13 April 2006
DVD retail: 24 January 2007
Cinema surveillance images
