Critic Shelf
Home
Discover
Sign in
Your rating
Tap a star, half steps count

Sophiatown

Aug 16, 2003 · 1h 22m
No ratings yet

PLOT

Little Bird's first South African production, SOPHIATOWN has won the award for Best Documentary at the Cape Town World Cinema Festival 2003. SOPHIATOWN celebrates the great popular jazz music of the 1950's in South Africa; a rich tradition deserving international attention. Director Pascale Lamche, traces the music, uncovers the artists who created it and the unique culture in which it thrived, concentrated in Sophiatown, Johannesburg's own Harlem, which fuelled by liberation politics until its destruction by the Apartheid regime. The film features Nelson Mandela and such household names from the jazz world as Hugh Masekela, Miriam Makeba, Abdullah Ibrahim, Jonas Gwangwa and Caiphus Semenya.

REVIEWS

View reviews

CAST

Jonas Gwangwa
Self
Abdullah Ibrahim
Self
Nelson Mandela
Self
Hugh Masekela
Self
Dorothy Masuka
Self
Jürgen Schadeberg
Self
Dolly Rathebe
Self
Directed by Pascale Lamche

DETAILS

Status
Released
Original language
EN
Budget
—
Revenue
—
Production
Little Bird
Country
US, GB, IE

SIMILAR TITLES

Suburban Girl
2007
The Weight of Water
2001
Red Dust
2004
The Dead Girl
2006
Ice/Sea
2005
Der Bulle und das Landei - von Mäusen, Miezen und Moneten
2014
Critic Shelf
Rate what you watch, show it on shelves, and compare taste with anyone. Film and TV data from TMDB.
ACCOUNT
Sign in
Create account
Delete account
COMPANY
About
Contact
Privacy
Terms
This product uses TMDB and the TMDB APIs but is not endorsed, certified, or otherwise approved by TMDB.
© 2026 Critic Shelf
WATCH · RATE · COMPARE