South Africa / 2008 / 24mins / Documentary / English, Xhosa and Oromo

After the violent xenophobic attacks in South Africa in 2008, the community of Masiphumelele publicly apologized to nearby Soetwater Refugee Camp, inviting their displaced foreign nationals back home. Baraka follows their return to the overcrowded community of Masiphumelele.

Riaan Hendricks

Riaan Hendricks was born in Cape Town in November 1975. He studied philosophy and psychology at the University of Western Cape. He is a self-taught filmmaker, and has taken a short course in film production. He has worked as an editor, has produced a number of documentaries and has directed several films. His first film A Fisherman's Tale was financed by NFVF South Africa. Two years later it was described as a "sterling directorial debut", and won a Jury Special Mention for Documentary at the Apollo International Film Festival. A Fisherman's Tale (2004) "reminds me of the art of Picasso and Diego Riviera, who had used their art to animate the condition of the working people and their dignity" - Professor Ben Turok, Independent Newspaper. The director’s documentary film The Last Voyage won the Silver Dhow for Documentary film at the 2011 Zanzibar International Film Festival. Learn More

Omelga Mthiyane

Omelga Mthiyane was born in 1977, in Inanda, just outside Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. She studied video technology at the Durban University of Technology, and graduated in 2000. In 2001, she was selected for the Encounters Documentary Laboratory where she was trained in making documentaries. Omelga was also a member of the Filmmakers against Racism initiative. Her film Ikhaya (2004) was selected for the Durban International Film Festival. She directed A Different Pigment for the SABC1 and the Encounters Black on WhiteHeadwrap 3 after successfully contributing to the first series for Plexus Films. Learn More