STORY OF A BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY

"This film is not a mere observation of my country but an interaction. I will engage with my country, challenge it."

In South Africa ten years after the end of Apartheid, intrepid taxi driver and director Khalo Matabane takes us on a voyage of discovery, spanning nine provinces and packed full of encounters with characters from the 'rainbow nation'. As the African saying goes "to understand your country, you have to take a journey". In this adventurous road movie, a beautiful picture of the nation emerges, the rhythm and drive of the filmreflecting the tempo of life in a slowly healing nation.

Characters recount their feelings as they travel in the taxi, some merely chat through the open window. All are united in their love for their homeland. From a gun-toting Boer defending his right to arms, to a mixed race couple full of love for each other yet distressed by racist responses to their relationship, Matabane surveys the spectrum of the new South Africa contemplating the wounds of its past and the hope for its future.

Award: Honorary Mention, Columbus International Film and Video Festival