Barakat (2020 film)

2021 South African family drama film

Barakat

Directed by| Amy Jephta
Written by| Amy Jephta
Produced by| Ephraim Gordon
Wikus du Toit
Starring| Vinette Ebrahim
Joey Rasdien
Mortimer Williams
Quanita Adams
Keeno Lee Hectormade
Cinematography| Ebrahim Hajee
Edited by| Sanjin Muftic
Music by| Kyle Shepherd

Production
companies

Nagvlug
PaperJet Productions

Distributed by| Indigenous Film Distribution

Release dates

* September 2020 (2020-09) (Urbanworld)
* 28 May 2021 (2021-05-28) (South Africa)

Running time

| 103 minutes
Country| South Africa
Languages| Afrikaans
English
Box office| $66,181

Barakat is a 2020 South African family drama film directed by Amy Jephta and produced by Ephraim Gordon.[1] It is the first Afrikaans-language Muslim feature film produced in South Africa.[2][3][4] The film stars Vinette Ebrahim in the lead role and Joey Rasdien, Mortimer Williams, Quanita Adams and Keeno Lee Hector in supportive roles.[5][6]

## Plot

[edit]

The film deals with family problems where an ageing matriarch brings together her fractured, dysfunctional family over Eid-al-Fitr in order to introduce her new romantic partner, after her husband's death some years ago.[7]

## Cast

[edit]

* Vinette Ebrahim as Aisha Davids
* Joey Rasdien as Zunaid
* Mortimer Williams as Zaid
* Quanita Adams as Ra-eesah
* Keeno Lee Hector as Yaseen
* Danny Ross as Nur
* June van Merch as Fadielah
* Bonnie Mbuli as Gwen

## Production

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The film was shot in and around Lansdowne and Athlone on the Cape Flats, Cape Town, South Africa.[8]

## Release

[edit]

The film made its theatrical premiere on 28 May 2021 in Cape Town, hosted by Vangate Mall. The film received positive reviews from critics and screened in many global film festivals.[9][10][11] The film was selected to screen as the closing film for Film Africa 2020 in London, but this was later cancelled due to the second lockdown in the United Kingdom.[12] The film was officially selected for 2020 Urbanworld,[13] Black TIFF 2021 and the 2021 Pan African Film Festival as well.[14][15]

Barakat received many awards. In 2020, at the Motion Pictures International Film Festival, the film won the awards for the Best Narrative Feature, Best Editing and Best Production. In the same year at the Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema, Barakat won four more awards: Mary Austin Award Excellence in Directing, Best Ensemble Cast, Best International Feature and Best Supporting Actor as well as won the Runner Up award for the Best Original Score as well.[2] The film was selected as South Africa's entry for Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards,[16] but it did not end up receiving a nomination.

## See also

[edit]

* List of submissions to the 94th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film
* List of South African submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Barakat". nataal.com. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
2. ^ a b Libby18. "Award-winning film Barakat has an out-of-the-ordinary premiere in Cape Town". Gauteng Film Commission. Archived from the original on 5 October 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2021.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
3. ^ "South Africa's first Muslim-Afrikaans film, Barakat, scheduled for theatrical release in May 2021". ladima.africa. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
4. ^ Khan, By: Atiyyah; Culture (15 May 2021). "'Barakat' holds Cape Muslim culture up to the light". New Frame. Archived from the original on 28 January 2022. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
5. ^ "Barakat: First South African film in Cape Town's Afrikaans dialect". BBC News. 23 August 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
6. ^ "BARAKAT (2020) at New African Film Festival". watch.eventive.org. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
7. ^ Bond, Dave (5 November 2020). "Barakat - Film Africa 2020". Set The Tape. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
8. ^ Dercksen, Daniel (9 May 2021). "Barakat – A story about celebrating life, culture, and the importance of family". The Writing Studio. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
9. ^ "Review: "Barakat" Tells Touching And Rare Story of a Cape Muslim Family". Cinema Escapist. 8 July 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
10. ^ "BARAKAT". Toronto Black Film Festival. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
11. ^ Parker (@bparks_), Bashiera. "Barakat". Channel. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
12. ^ "Closing Film: BARAKAT (European Premiere)". FILM AFRICA 2020. 28 September 2020. Archived from the original on 21 September 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
13. ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (18 September 2020). "Urbanworld Film Festival Adds Spotlight Conversation On 'All In: The Fight for Democracy' And More Events To Bolster Civic Engagement". Deadline. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
14. ^ "Barakat". SAFF. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
15. ^ "BARAKAT (2020) | New African Film Festival". watch.eventive.org. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
16. ^ Szalai, Georg (8 November 2021). "Oscars: South Africa Picks 'Barakat' for International Feature Category". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 8 November 2021.

## External links

[edit]

* Barakat at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

South African submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film

* Mapantsula (1989)
* Paljas (1997)
* Yesterday (2004)
* Tsotsi (2005)
* Jerusalema (2008)
* White Wedding (2009)
* Life, Above All (2010)
* Beauty (2011)
* Little One (2012)
* Four Corners (2013)
* Elelwani (2014)
* The Two of Us (2015)
* Call Me Thief (2016)
* The Wound (2017)
* Sew the Winter to My Skin (2018)
* Knuckle City (2019)
* Toorbos (2020)
* Barakat (2021)
* Music Is My Life – Dr. Joseph Shabalala and Ladysmith Black Mambazo (2023)
* Old Righteous Blues (2024)

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