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Local film Krotoa an international hit

Local SA film  Krotoa has become an international hit long before its SA release. The film, directed by Roberta Durrant, has been showered with awards.

Krotoa

- Best Film at the 8th annual Harlem International Film Festival in New York.

- Official Selection at the International Film Festival for Environment, Health, and Culture

- Official Selection at the World Film Awards

- Official Selection at the Artemis Women in Action Film Festival

- Official Selection at the Nashville Film Festival.

- Award of Excellence at the International Film Festival for Women, Social Issues, and Zero Discrimination

- Best of Show Award at the Depth Of Field International Film Festival

- Platinum Award at the International Movie Awards

- Diamond Award at the Filmmakers World Festival

- Best of Show Award at The IndieFEST Film Awards

- Award of Excellence Special Mention: Women Filmmakers at the Accolade Global Film Competition

- World Platinum Award at the World Woman Awards.

So, the only appropriate response is “Wow”, right? 

While the prizes  Krotoa has won may be enough to hook some, others may need a little more background info before rushing to buy tickets. Although if you studied history, you’re probably already aware of the story of Krotoa, or ‘Eva’ (as the Dutch called her).

Krotoa, a feisty, bright, young 11-year-old girl is removed from her close-knit Khoi tribe to serve Jan van Riebeeck, her uncle’s trading partner. She is brought into the first Fort established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652. There she grows into a visionary young woman who assimilates the Dutch language and culture so well that she rises to become an influential interpreter for van Riebeeck, who became the first Governor of the Cape Colony. As such, Krotoa ends up being rejected by her own Khoi people and destroyed by the Dutch when she tries to find the middle way between the two cultures. 

– Written by Roberta Durrant

 

A depiction of powerful women

Roberta Durrant is clearly conscious of the problems in white feminism – a movement focusing on the struggles of well-off white women while failing to address the distinct forms of oppression faced by women of  colour Krotoa, as a film featuring the struggles and triumphs of a woman of  colour , resists this narrative.

“In comparison to men, very few women have been acknowledged for having an impact on South African history. However, if we dig into South Africa’s rich history, we discover that there were other indigenous females – who contributed to the change and development of our great nation – even before the sisters who were involved in the struggle. KROTOA (or Eva – a name given to her by the Dutch) is the tragic heroine of this movie. It is not only important to tell her story because of all her great achievements. It’s also necessary to highlight that she was caught between two ways of life and constantly forced to choose between these two cultures. Identity, a sense of belonging and reconciliation are strong, universal themes in this powerful tale. Especially because the identity of someone, who is in between two cultures, is very relevant in any multicultural society,” says Durrant.

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