Devil’s Lair to premier at the FNCC
Devil’s Lair by Riaan Hendricks and produced by Namibian Neil Brandt will premiere at the Franco Namibian Cultural Centre on 8 October 2014.AfricAvenir in partnership with the FNCC presents the Namibian premiere of “Devil’s Lair” on 8 October 2014 at the FNCC. Devil’s Lair is a film by Riaan Hendricks and produced by Namibian Neil Brandt. Entrance fee is N$20.
Devil’s Lair captures manifold nuances of brutal gang life
Ageing gangster Braaim is a drug dealer and the leader of the gang, The Nice Time Kids. In this film Hendricks takes the audience deep into the constrictive, claustrophobic space of a Mitchell’s Plein gang leader, whose plans for escaping a life of poverty have still not and probably never will materialise.
Mitchell’s Plein is the notorious so-called Coloured township on the Cape flats outside Cape Town. It is the home turf to many gangs and has frequently featured as the theme for films and documentaries on gang violence. It assumed prominence on the international radar about ten years ago with the infamous public execution of a gang leader and drug dealer, Rashaad Staggie, by rival gang, Pagad.
Taking its cue from the violent township everyday life, Devil’s Lair takes its audience on a pacy, gritty ride through the underworld of a deadly turf war bit it does not give in to the sensationalist glamour of the gangster. Rather the film is a mature reflection on the relationship between poverty and freedom that surprises the viewer with its intimate portrayal of a world of despair, entrapment, contrasts and unceasing hope. The Devil’s Liar is a complex and nuanced film that asks very hard questions about the relationships between poverty, crime, violence and bonds that bind families together despite the overwhelming odds.
The film has won numerous awards including Best World Cinema Award at New Zealand International Documentary Edge Festival with Special Mention, the Special Jury Award at the 24th Festival Cinema Africano Asia Latin Americana in Milan, the Best Documentary at the Luxor International Film Festival, and the award for the Best Documentary Feature and Best Editing at the 2014 South African Film & Television Awards, the Screen Excellence Awards in Durban and finally, Best South African Documentary at the Jozi Film Festival.
