Jim Comes To Jo’burg
Film
by Donald Swanson
Details
South Africa / 1949 / 50mins / Drama, Romance / English
Jim decides to leave his tribal area to seek his fortune in Johannesburg. As soon as he arrives, three gangsters mug him. When he regains consciousness, a friendly night watchman takes care of him. With the watchman's help, Jim gets a job in a nightclub as a waiter. Jim Comes To Jo’burg, also known as African Jim, was the first feature-length entertainment film made with a black cast and specifically for black audiences in South Africa.
Trailer
About the Director
Donald Swanson
Donald Swanson was a writer and director, known for The Magic Garden (1951), African Jim, also known as Jim Comes to Jo’burg (1949). The films have a unique place in the history of film in South Africa as being amongst the first films to place black identity and experience at their center. He scripted and directed the colonial films, Chisoko the African (1949) and Mau Mau (1954). Learn More
