LOBOLA, A BRIDE’S TRUE PRICE?

South Africa
2022

Director: Sihle Hlophe

Language: English, Southern Sotho, Zulu with English subtitles

March 2014. Film maker Sihle Hlophe has just become engaged. A few days later, her father passes away. Sihle is in a serious fix – who will receive the lobola now that her father is no more? Sihle respects lobola but she has reservations about the transactional, patriarchal, and heteronormative elements of the practise. In an effort to learn more about lobola before making her final decision, Sihle attends the lobola ceremonies of three other couples. After years of vacillating, she comes to an important realisation – lobola is not just about uniting two families. It is also about honouring the ancestors of those two families. What will her final decision be? Will she turn her back on lobola or will she embrace it?

Screenings

22 July | 14:45 | Suncoast 8
28 July | 19:45 | Suncoast 8

Credits

Director

Sihle Hlophe

Producer

Sihle Hlophe, Xoliswa Sithole

Screenplay

Sihle Hlophe

Cinematography

Kutlwano Mabusela

Cast

Sihle Hlophe, Mkhulu Jama, Mabuya, Gogo Joyce, Mamkhulu Spanku

Runtime

95 min

Sihle Hlophe

Sihle Hlophe is a SAFTA-winning film maker and a multi-degree earner. Over the last 12 years, her work has been recognised with a number of accolades including an Africa Movie Academy Award Nomination for Best Documentary film. Hlophe is a graduate of the prestigious IDFAcademy (the Netherlands), the North-South-South Student Exchange Programme (Finland) and the Hot Docs Blue Ice Group Story Lab (Canada). Hlophe’s latest documentary film, LINDELA UNDER LOCKDOWN, was the winner of the Best Documentary Award at the Cameroon International Film Festival 2021 and was nominated for the Best Documentary Award at the Africa Movie Academy Awards 2021. Hlophe recently directed a feature-length Showmax Original film, PEARLS OF WISDOM. Hlophe is the co-producer of SADLA, the first narrative film by a black South African film maker to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival (USA). Over the years, she has worked as a scriptwriter and storyliner on award winning TV shows such as LOCKDOWN, SCANDAL, MUTUAL FRIENDS and BROKEN VOWS.
DIFF 2023

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