Kristen Harding

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING With its charming portrayal of a queer love story, the debut feature from South African filmmaker Sandulela Asanda is redefining queer representation by celebrating the playfulness of adolescence. Esihle Ndleleni as Luthando in Black Burns Fast. (Photo: Indigenous Film) It takes a special kind of creative voice to situate a film so resolutely within the tropes of a particular genre without losing itself to Hollywood formulas.

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING In local nature documentary Bucket: The Lion Cub, wildlife filmmaker and safari expert Brent Leo-Smith navigates the delicate balance of conservation and human empathy in the wild. A still from the wildlife documentary Bucket: The Lion Cub. (Photo: Painteddog.tv) In nature documentaries, the human species tends to remain behind the camera, casting wildlife into a narrative as seen through our eyes, yet keeping at a distance as if we are not a part of nature ourselves.

Sixty days, 1,600km. Countless people who opened their homes and shared their meals with a stranger. This has been Wandile Mthiyane’s experience as he walked from Durban to Cape Town, raising awareness about South Africa’s housing crisis. “Most people’s initial reaction was that I was crazy,” Mthiyane tells Daily Maverick. He admits that he also doubted whether this challenge was the best means of advocacy.