South African filmmaker, Jahmil X.T. Quebeka has carved a niche for himself in the area of silent film. His 2013 controversial film, ‘Of Good Report’, apart from being initially outlaws by the film board of his country, received international buzz for the creative ingenuity of a muted lead character without losing the power of communications through the motion picture.
The filmmaker returns with a new film, “Sew The Winter To My Skin”, which premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The film follows the story of 1950s South African outlaw John Kepe, who robbed from the white colonist farmers and gave back to the poor. In South Africa’s rural Great Karoo region in the 1950s, outlaw John Kepe (Ezra Mabengeza), aka the “Samson of the Boschburg Mountains” was a notorious threat to the established system of Apartheid, robbing from the white framers and redistributing the goods amongst the poor indigenous population. His twelve-year spree ended with a massive man hunt, tracked to the cave he lived in, leading to his eventual execution.
In the 98-page script, one of the very few dialogues was in chanting war songs. It was a do more and say less thriller; dark, intriguing and gripping – a visually-rich film with the camera and directing detailing the mood and tone of the characters.
Director of Photography Jonathan Kovel was at his frame’s best. And, one must admit, the film is a great upping in Quebeka’s technical skills.a