Noma Film

Synopsis

Shot in black-and-white this film noir, stylised documentary focuses on the ongoing struggle for land in South Africa. Over two decades since the end of apartheid the majority of land is still in white hands, and this film humanises the unequal distribution of land using the story of a young black woman, Nomaliphathwe Gwele, a 25-year-old single mother of two, as she struggles to find a piece of land she can call her own. Her story resonates with a large portion of South African youth, as she survives with a precarious job, living in a township, renting a shack that she shares with a number of her family members. The film follows Noma as she joins a land occupation action group to fight for her right to build her own shack in a new settlement, in the face of constant violent evictions.   

This screening is supported by the Global Development Academy at the University of Edinburgh, and will be followed by a discussion on land rights in South Africa.