OTELO BURNING

Directed by Sarah Blecher

South Africa, 2011 , 95 min.

Otelo Burning relates the story of three township kids who discover the joys of surfing. In the waves, they experience what everyone is fighting for: freedom. The film is set in 1989 during the last days of apartheid, with conflict brewing between two political groups in Lamontville, a township on the outskirts of Durban. When 16-year-old Otelo Buthelezi takes to the water for the first time, it is clear that he was born to surf. Then tragedy strikes. On the day that Nelson Mandela is released from prison, Otelo is forced to choose between surfing success and justice. This beautifully made, insightful film captures a momentous time in the history of South Africa.

In Zulu with English subtitles.

Sponsored by The Black United Fund of Oregon.