The South African Film Festival, which takes place Nov. 6-17, is primarily a streaming festival, but there are a few in-person cinematic experiences, including a screening of The Showerhead on Nov. 6, 6:30 p.m., at SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts.
The Showerhead is a feature-length documentary that examines the work of political cartoonist Jonathan Shapiro, aka Zapiro, tracing his journey from anti-apartheid activist and struggle artist to “conscience of the nation” and champion of freedom of expression in democratic South Africa.
The documentary delves into the origins, relevance and impact of an iconic feature in Zapiro’s work that gives the film its title: the plumbing hardware fixed to the head of Jacob Zuma, the former president of South Africa. Through Zapiro’s cartoons, the film explores Zuma’s scandal-ridden rise to power, his turbulent presidency and eventual downfall.
Zapiro’s cartoons also capture a range of critical issues that have plagued South Africa in the post-Mandela era: failures of leadership during the AIDS pandemic, corruption, chauvinism, cronyism, self-enrichment, subversion of the constitution and the rule of law, and escalating threats to freedom of expression.
For tickets to The Showerhead, go to southafricanfilmfest.com.
– Courtesy South African Film Festival