The Premiere of Skin - AFI FEST (November 3, 2008)
Film Synopsis & Credits  Cast: Sophie Okonedo, Sam Neill, Alice Krige Producers: Margaret Matheson, Genevieve Hofmeyr, Anthony Fabian Executive Producers: Simon Fawcett, Robbie Little, Laurence Paltiel, Alasdair MacCuish, Moses Silinda, Hellen Kalenga Director of Photography: Dewald Aukema sasc & Jonathan Partridge Editor: St. John O’Rorke Music: Helene Muddiman Sound Design: Paul Cotterell Production Design: Billy Keam Spanning 30 years in the history of South Africa, this story follows the life of Sandra Laing (Sophie Okenodo), a young woman who, despite being born to a white Afrikaner parents, has light brown skin and curly hair. From a white African family but possessing of black African physical features, Sandra defies the classifications that served as the foundation of South Africa?s systemic racism. Sandra grows up in a sheltered environment on a rural farm, loved and nurtured by her father (Sam Neill) and mother (Alice Krige). It is not until she is thrown out of the same all-white boarding school that her brother attends that reality sets in: Sandra will not have the same opportunities as everyone else in her family. Sandra?s parents immediately set out to have her legally classified as ?white? in 1960s apartheid-era South Africa, setting in motion a legal battle that marks Sandra with the strength and self-awareness that ultimately enables her to embrace her identity and cultural legacy as an African woman. It is impossible to watch this film, which is based on a true story, without being swept up by the undercurrent of sadness. These strong emotions penetrate the wrenching performances from Okenodo, Neill and Krige, members of a family torn asunder.
|
Video
