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No events for Soft Vengeance: Albie Sachs and the New South Africa

About The Film

It begins with a bang—a bomb, to be precise. Abby Ginzberg’s illuminating documentary about Jewish South African anti-apartheid activist Albie Sachs opens with grainy footage of Sachs’ car being blown up by South African security agents, resulting in the loss of his right arm and sight in his left eye. During his recovery, Sachs wasn’t consumed by desire for an equally violent retaliation, but rather a renewed urge to help his country achieve democracy and freedom, a sort of “soft vengeance.”

That soft vengeance has, essentially, been Sachs’ constant pursuit. Ginzberg’s film traces Sachs’ early career as a lawyer and activist, from his stint in jail for defending anti-apartheid activists to his eventual exile from South Africa. When he finally returns to his home country, Nelson Mandela appoints him to help write the nation’s new constitution and serve as one of the first judges on the new constitutional court.

This film – screened in over 20 international film festivals, and Winner of the 2014 Grand Prize Humanitarian Award, Accolade Film Competition, combines oral histories and video footage, allowing for a particularly intimate look into Sachs’ life. The film also features interviews with Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, and a poignant interview with Henri van der Westhuizen, the former South African military official responsible for the attack that nearly killed Sachs.

Plays with THE ACCIDENTAL ACTIVIST (local short)

Director/Producer Bio

AG-headshot web-crop 150x150jpgAbby Ginzberg has been producing award-winning documentaries about race and social justice for over 30 years that have been shown in US and International film festivals and broadcast on public television. She was the Consulting Producer on The Barber of Birmingham Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement, which was nominated for a 2012 Academy Award® in the Short Documentary category. Her films profile unsung heroes such as Albie Sachs, Thelton Henderson (SOUL OF JUSTICE, 2005) and Cruz Reynoso (SOWING THE SEEDS OF JUSTICE, 2010), bringing their inspirational stories to a much wider audience. Abby received the 2014 Duveneck Humanitarian award and serves as the President of the Berkeley Film Foundation.


Guest Speakers

Director/Producer Abby Ginzberg will be in attendance. The discussion will be moderated by Warren Etheredge of The Warren Report.

SoftVengeance poster

Film Details:

Director: Abbey Ginzberg
Country: South Africa, USA
Language: English
Running Time: 84m
Year: 2014
Genre: Documentary
Official Website

Subjects:

  • Documentary Film
  • South Africa
  • South African Jew
  • African National Congress
  • Social Justice
  • Judicial Activism

Rating: PG

  • Violent images

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