Cape Town - Action Kommandant is coming home to Bonteheuwel’s big screen on Thursday in a free Youth Day event.
The documentary of freedom fighter Ashley Kriel’s life will screened for free at Bonteheuwel Civic Centre at 2.30pm today.
The Cape Argus will be there at the screening to celebrate Youth Day with a special souvenir Youth Day edition of the newspaper.
After seven sold-out screenings during the Encounters film festival, the documentary is finally going home to the community in which Kriel grew up.
Known as the “Che Guevara of Bonteheuwel”, Kriel was an activist and liberation fighter in Umkhonto we Sizwe. He was murdered by apartheid police in 1987, at the age of 20.
Independent’s chairmen Dr Iqbal Survé contributed towards the completion of the documentary through his Survé Philanthropies Trust.
Director Nadine Cloete said the audience would be watching historical scenes that played out in the venue in which they will be sitting.
“A lot of the scenes in the film from the archive footage play out in the civic centre,” she said. “We’re calling this a homecoming.”
Cloete said she was excited to see how the Bonteheuwel community would react to her film.
“I know it’s going to have an effect on the elderly people who knew Ashley, but my interest is also how the Bonteheuwel youth will respond. I want them to watch it and think, let’s take back our community.”
The programme for the event runs for 1pm to 5pm and includes a community discussion at the end, and questions and answer with the film director.
The Jazz Yard Academy will be providing entertainment, with many guest speakers including Bonteheuwel star athlete Anneesah Haupt and representatives from the Bonteheuwel Joint Peace Forum and the Ashley Kriel SkillsDevelopment Centre.
Members of Kriel’s family will be present and will also address the audience.
Kriel’s eldest sister, Michel Assure, said the response to the film has already been overwhelming.
“It’s so unbelievable; I never though in my wildest dreams that it would’ve reached this (level of) public demand.”
Assure was expecting a massive turn out. “There is still a demand for more screenings, even from other communities,” she said.
“But to me the first priority is Bonteheuwel because that is where Ashley hailed from. That is what I really wanted most, and I’m so proud, I feel joyous that it’s now going to reach the community from Bonteheuwel.”
Cape Argus