The State Against Mandela and the Others

“I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. […] But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.” These words spoken by Nelson Mandela were heard around the world when he and seven of his comrades-in-arms at the African National Congress were tried in 1964. A trial in which the death penalty threatened the militant opponents of South Africa’s apartheid regime. Film footage of the trial does not exist, and archival recordings of the hearings, only recently recovered, form the heart of the film by directors Nicolas Champeaux and Gilles Porte. They transport us back into the tense atmosphere of the courtroom battles between the prosecuting attorney and the defendants. We witness how they turn the tables during the hearings and put apartheid in the dock.
The independent animator Oerd van Cuijlenborg has translated the acoustic events
into animated charcoal drawings and integrates his own rhythmically moving commentary. What is more, Champeaux and Porte show their encounters with former participants in the trial: 57 years after the sentences were pronounced, they are played the recordings and express their current view of the events that occurred back then. As a result, a crucial moment in South African history not only comes to life again, but the film also creates moving portraits of resistance fighters such as Walter Sisulu or Ahmed Kathrada who, together with Nelson Mandela, risked their lives to abolish apartheid. The film was among the nominated feature films in Cannes and was nominated for a César as Best Documentary Film this year.