A documentary that chronicles the life of South African leader Nelson Mandela. Mandela is probably best known for his 27 years of imprisonment, and for bringing an end to apartheid. But this film also sheds light on the little-known early period of Mandela's life.
Direction
Menell and Gibson let Mandela narrate his own myth-busting
Editing
Jarring cuts between township footage and prison archives
Production
Rare access before Mandela became global merchandise
Director
Jo Menell
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Released just two years after Mandela became president, this documentary captures him before the 'Mandela Effect' of global sanitization—still raw, still complicated, still capable of admitting regret.
Directors Menell and Gibson were denied access to film on Robben Island itself; the prison sequences are reconstructed through Mandela's drawings and testimony, making his memory the set.
US
GB
