/ 1 October 2010

The Battle For Johannesburg

The film captures the changing face of Johannesburg as efforts to turn back the clock on more that ten years of decay are underway.

It’s a tale of eager property developers vying for sections of the crumbling metropolis, of a city council determined to create a city that’s world
class and ultimately of how this affects the hundreds of thousands of people who have, of necessity, made the slums their home.

While the film interrogates whether Johannesburg can recover from the inequality of the past by backing the horse of private accumulation and gentrification, it also presents a microcosm of the country as a whole, raising urgent questions about social investment, enduring poverty and alienated communities that refuse to live together.

For the full festival lineup, go to the official website.