South Africa / 2002 / 50mins / Documentary / English

An adult orphan, Xoliswa Sithole, who lost her mother to HIV/AIDS journeys back home in search of other young women who have also lost their mothers to HIV/AIDS and are now struggling to raise themselves (and, in many cases, their siblings) on their own.

Renée E. Rosen

Renée E. Rosen is a documentary filmmaker, writer, and research specialist with international experience in print and broadcast journalism. After receiving her MA in Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution at NYU, she has gone on to work as the Director of Media Relations and Series Researcher for the Mail and Guardian in Johannesburg and has directed, produced, and consulted for Wanderlust Productions in New York. Learn More

Xoliswa Sithole

Xoliswa Sithole is a BAFTA and Peabody award winning producer and filmmaker, born in Apartheid-era South Africa and raised in Zimbabwe. A member of the British Film and Television Academy, she is also the first South African to be awarded a British Academy Television Award. She began her career as an actress, before moving on to working as a director and producer, garnering critical praise and multiple prestigious awards. Sithole has acted in such films as Cry Freedom, Mandela, Fools, and Chikin Biznis. She has produced and researched several documentaries such as South Africa from Triumph to Transition and Nelson Mandela for CNN Prime Time, and the hit 13-part South African television series Real Lives. She has also produced and starred in Shouting Silent (2002), a documentary about female AIDS orphans. Her 2018 documentary, Standing on Their Shoulders is a historical journey through time that connects female resistance movements in South Africa. Learn More