THE HOME

Jessie Zinn |
South Africa |
2024 |
73Min |
English, Xhosa
The Home is a warm and quietly poignant observational documentary set in the oldest and largest Jewish old-age home in South Africa. With humor and tenderness, the film follows its elderly residents who are spirited, candid, and often hilariously opinionated as they navigate the small dramas of communal living, including a hotly contested Resident Committee election. Beneath the lightness lies a deeper reflection on care, dignity, and the complexities of South African society. The caregivers attend to the residents with patience and warmth, offering a quiet but powerful commentary on the country’s enduring social and economic divides. Blending gentle comedy with unspoken tension, The Home captures a richly textured microcosm where history, hierarchy, and humanity coexist under one roof.
Jessie Zinn
Justin Cohen
Gray Kotze

Screenings

19 Jul 14:00 Suncoast 6
26 Jul 17:00 Suncoast 8

3 Aug 17:00 The Labia
3 Aug 12:00 The Bioscope

Jessie Zinn

Jessie’s approach to filmmaking is bound to a desire to tell intimate, honest stories filtered through a personal lens. Coming from a theatre and documentary background, her hands-on approach to working with people and performers has informed her ability to adapt to any given environment and has allowed her to work across different genres. Her films have screened at multiple international film festivals, including Doc NYC, AFI Docs, MoMA Doc Fortnight and Visions Du Reel. In 2017, she was named a “Marie Claire Future Shaper” and in 2018, she was named a “Mail & Guardian 200 Young South African”. She is currently in post-production on her first feature documentary (The Home), which has received funding from the National Film and Video Foundation. She holds an MFA in Documentary Film from Stanford University.