Set against the raucous backdrop of the 2010 World Cup, Meanwhile in Mamelodi is a beautifully crafted portrait of a place and one family’s daily life inside it. The Mtsweni family lives in the Pretoria township of the title, in the district known as Extension 11. Their world is a ramshackle collection of corrugated tin dwellings and makeshift shops, open sewers littered with debris and red-earth rectangles filled with soccer-playing children and teens. Seventeen-year-old Moskito is one of those kids. As she studies for math tests, flirts with boys and shops with her best friend, her father Steven prepares his “tuck shop” for the promise of cash-flush tourists. Meanwhile, his wife struggles with mental illness. The Mtswenis’ lives unfold as the Cup brings new hope to the ravaged town. Extension 11 buzzes with the drone of vuvuzelas, signaling a new South Africa has arrived. Despite the poverty around her, Moskito insists this is not her parents’ country. She is the face of South Africa’s future – part of “a new generation free to do all things.” Moskito’s story is told with tremendous musicality – a sense of rhythm and vibration permeates each scene. Through a rich color palette of turquoise, gold and red, director Benjamin Kahlmeyer imbues his frame with texture and life, illustrating a potent hope emerging from the rubble. (Sara Dosa, San Francisco Film Society)

South Africa 2010/11, 74min, HD
Available with English, German & Spanish subtitles

Director: Benjamin Kahlmeyer
DoP: Stefan Neuberger
Editing: Benjamin Entrup
Producer: Boris Frank
Composer: John Gürtler & Jan Miserre
Translations: Frauke Wiegand & Thabo Thindi

HBO Emerging Artist Award – Hot Docs Toronto 2012
Nomination for Best Cinematography – Doc Planete Warsaw 2012
Nomination for Best Cinematography – German Cinematography Award 2012
Nomination Golden Key – Kasseler Film und Videofest 2011
Honorable Mention – San Francisco Film Festival 2012
Special Jury Mention for Cinematic Vision – Camden Int. Film Festival 2012
Dutch Golden Stone for Best Documentary – Scenecs Debut Film Festival 2012
Best Film „Sports&Society“ – ATLANT International Sports Film Festival 2012
Nomination for David L. Wolper Award – Int. Documentary Association, L.A. 2012
Nomination for Spotlight Award – Cinema Eye Honors 2012, NYC