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Moffie

Directed by Oliver Hermanus, 2019 South Africa, UK 104 minutes
18+
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South African auteur Oliver Hermanus (The Endless River, SFF 2015) returns with this stunning queer romance and military drama. A favourite at Venice.

Set in 1981 South Africa, the film follows beautiful and shy Nicholas, a closeted 18-year-old at the threshold of adulthood. This coming-of-age story takes a sudden turn when Nicholas is conscripted to complete two years of compulsory military service defending the apartheid regime. To be a “moffie”, a homophobic slur in Afrikaans, is to be weak or effeminate – perceived as the worst thing a soldier can be. Nicholas’s need to survive his oppressive tour is complicated as he struggles to suppress his burgeoning feelings towards a fellow recruit. Hermanus’s complex drama mixes chilling suspense with delicate romance, in a valiant adaptation of André-Carl van der Merwe’s acclaimed memoir.

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Program Strand
Features,
Classification
Unclassified 18+
Language
In English and Afrikaans with English subtitles
Director
Oliver Hermanus,
Producer
Eric Abraham, Jack Sidey,
Cast
Kai Luke Brummer, Ryan de Villiers, Matthew Vey,
Screenwriter
Oliver Hermanus, Jack Sidey,
Cinematographer
Jamie D Ramsay,
Editor
Alain Dessauvage, George Hanmer,
Genre
LGBTIQ+ Films, Religion & Belief, Politics & Economics, Literary & Adaptations, Human Rights, Gender & Sexuality, Africa,
Company Credits
Sales Agent: Portobello Productions,

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