Despite incredible political upheavals and a minimal national history of film production, movies such as Come Back, Africa (1959), uDeliwe (1975), and Fools (1998) have taken on an iconic status within South African culture. In this much-needed study, author Litheko Modisane delves into the public critical engagements around old 'renegade' films and newer ones, revealing instructive details both in the production and the public lives of South African movies oriented around black social experiences. This illuminates the complex nature of cinema in modern public life, enriching established methodologies by expanding the cultural and conceptual boundaries of film as a phenomenon of textual circulation.

Autorentext
Litheko Modisane teaches in the Department of African Literature, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. He earned his PhD at the University of the Witwatersrand. He is also an Honorary Research Associate, Archive and Public Culture Research Initiative, University of Cape Town, South Africa.

Inhalt
Opening Shots  From Africa to America and Back Again: Come Back, Africa (1959)  Propagandistic Designs, Transggresive Mutations: uDeliwe (1975)  Engagé Film and the Public Sphere: Mapantsula (1988)  Gender in the New Nation: Fools (1998)  Orchestration of Debate through Television Drama: Yizo Yizo (1999, 2001)  Closing Shots