South Africa / 2005 / 120mins / Drama, Musical / Xhosa

Based on Bizet's opera Carmen, U-Carmen eKhayelitsha takes place in Khayelitsha Township in Cape Town. Sung and spoken in Xhosa, this is a story of seduction, love, jealousy and betrayal. U-Carmen eKhayelitsha is an operatic tour-de-force by an incredibly talented cast of performers which will make you forget all previous representations of Carmen on film. U-Carmen was the winner of the Golden Bear for Best Film at the 2005 Berlin International Film Festival and an Official Selection in the Cannes Film Festival.

Mark Dornford-May

Mark Dornford-May, born May 1955, is a British-born South African theater and film director. He worked in theater in England for 25 years and founded Broomhill Opera. Mesmerized by the talent he had witnessed in South Africa, he returned in 2000 with Charles Hazlewood to create a new theatre company in Cape Town. That troupe would become Dimpho Di Kompane. U-Carmen eKhayelitsha, Dornford-May's first film, won the Golden Bear for Best Film at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2005. Son of Man (2006), Dornford-May's second film was nominated for several awards and won three SAFTAs.  Learn More