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Through intimate verité footage shot in South Africa during 2003
and 2005, Orphans of Nkandla chronicles a tale of heartbreaking
pathos and breathtaking beauty, as we witness human tragedy
unfurl against a backdrop of vast landscapes and rustic poverty.
The documentary was filmed in rural Zululand, where (ironically)
the benefits of western civilization in one of the wealthiest
countries in Africa seem to have had little effect. Where the tarmac
ends, so does the running water and electricity; nutritious food is a
luxury; and medical choices are made on cost and availability
rather than necessity.
** The girls and boys we meet live in the rural village of Nklanda,
situated north of the South African city of Durban. These children
share a common burden: one or both of their parents have died of
AIDS, and they must now care for siblings and, in some cases, an
infected parent. The film includes numerous scenes in which
sisters and brothers are forced to forsake simple childhood
pleasures in order to survive. One pair of siblings, Mbali and Sne,
are forced to care for their ill father shortly after the family has
buried its mother; when the father also dies, the community
gathers at the homestead to bury him, though we're told that
many of the gravediggers have been lured by free food and beer.
** Despite its grim subject matter, Orphans of Nkandla provides a
measure of hope, primarily through the person of Sister Hedwig,
a nun who works at the local hospital. Travelling tirelessly around
the countryside in her truck, Sister Hegwick helps the orphans
cope with their loss and grief, at the same time trying to relocate
them in relatives' homes while getting the government to provide
them with grants that will pay for their education. As we see,
Sister Hedwick's efforts are sometimes rewarded, although the
specter of AIDS is constantly clouding each of the children's future
horizons.
** Among the revelations we discover in Orphans of Nkandla is the
disproportionate responsibility placed on females in the running
of a household. Because of tradition, men and boys often spend
their time in relative leisure while the women and girls attend to
not only the cooking and cleaning in the huts, but to farming as
well. The film shows how one orphaned young man disappears
on a drinking binge, while another boy welcomes the addition of a
long-lost sister by going off to play while his other sister continues
working.
Orphans of Nkandla was produced and directed by Brian Woods
and Deborah Shipley. Woods directed and produced three
exceptional documentaries with Kate Blewett for HBO/MAX:
1996's Peabody Award-winning The Dying Rooms (Cinemax Reel
Life), 1998's Innocents Lost (HBO) and 2001's The Carpet Slaves:
Stolen Children of India (Cinemax Reel Life).
Among other film-festival honors, Orphans of Nkandla won the
British Academy Television Award (BAFTA)'s Flaherty Award for
Single Documentary; its associate producer, Xoliswa Sithole,
becoming the first South African ever awarded a BAFTA.
CREDITS: A True Vision Production for BBC. Produced and Directed by Brian Woods & Deborah Shipley; Associate
Producer: Xoliswe Sithole. For Cinemax Reel Life: Supervising
Producer: Nancy Abraham; Executive Producer: Sheila Nevins.
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