Director:
Oliver Hermanus
Run Time: 92 minutes
Country: SOUTH AFRICA
Year: 2009
Oliver Hermanus
Run Time: 92 minutes
Country: SOUTH AFRICA
Year: 2009
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Shirley Adams
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SHIRLEY ADAMS is a quietly devastating tale about the effects of youth violence on one South African family. Director Oliver Hermanus is an extraordinarily talented young filmmaker who, in 2006, received a private scholarship to the London Film School from Roland Emmerich, director of Hollywood blockbusters (“Independence Day”, “2012”). No film could be further removed from Emmerich’s high-octane explosions than SHIRLEY ADAMS. Shirley is a stubbornly devoted mother who spends every minute of her day caring for her teenage son Donovan, the victim of a gang shooting who is now a paraplegic. Hermanus’s camera follows Shirley closely as she bathes her despondent son, helps him eat, and turns him over in bed. Poverty-stricken and without a means of support, Shirley and Donovan have been deserted by Donovan’s father, and Shirley resorts to shoplifting to make ends meet. When Tamsin, a well-meaning young social worker, arrives to help out, Donovan’s life brightens temporarily, though Shirley feels vaguely threatened. Denise Newman, one of South Africa’s foremost actresses, portrays Shirley as a woman of astonishing fortitude and careworn grace. (In English and Afrikaans with subtitles) – B.B.
Sidebar sponsored by:
Sidebar sponsored by:
Film presented with support of
| Sidebars | Pan-African Images, Women Of The World |
| Producer | Jeremy Nathan, Michelle Wheatley |
| Screenplay | Oliver Hermanus, Stavros Pambillis |
| Cinematography | Jamie Ramsay |
| Editing | Garreth Fradgley |
| Principal Cast | Denise Newman, Keenan Arrison, Emily Child, Theresa Sedras, Gamiet Peterson, Travis Snyders, Lee-Ann Van Rooi, David Muller |
| Director Bio | Twenty-five-year-old Oliver Hermanus was born in Cape Town and studied film at the University there. He began his career as a press photographer, covering events as diverse as the G-8 Summit and the Glastonbury Music Festival. He directed several short films before making this, his feature debut. |
| Select Filmography | SHIRLEY ADAMS (2009) |
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Past Screenings
Monday, March 22, 2010 at 11:50 AMThursday, March 25, 2010 at 9:25 PM
Friday, March 26, 2010 at 2:10 PM
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