Maona presents: Mapantsula15

Directed by Oliver Schmitz | South Africa | 1988 | 1h 43m | Zulu w/ English subtitles | Starring Thomas Mogotlane, Thembi Mtshali, Peter Sephuma, Marcel Van Heerden, Eugene Majola

A small-time hustler navigating the streets of Soweto finds himself entangled in anti-apartheid protests. When singled out by the local police, he faces a pivotal decision: prioritise personal gain or join the movement against racism. A quintessential example of guerrilla filmmaking, Oliver Schmitz’s 1988 cult-classic crime drama has finally emerged in stunning 4K resolution after years of suppression. Screenings marking the 30th anniversary of South African Freedom.

These screenings will be introduced by Dr Robert Freeman. Robert is a lecturer in English, and affiliate of New College, Oxford. He writes on African film, literary value, and the history of cultural institutions.

Reviews

‘The film starts as a racy gangster melodrama with an unusually pungent low-life city background, then builds inexorably to a moral reckoning, a ferocious, unforgettable denouement.’
Michael Wilmington, The LA Times

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed Maona presents: Mapantsula between May 21, 2024 and May 22, 2024.

Join our mailing list and we'll make sure you always know what's on and when.

What else is on?

Tomorrow (Sunday 19th January)

13:30

The Remains of the Day U
2h 14m
In 1930s Britain, the ordered life of a head butler is disrupted by the arrival of a housekeeper who develops feelings for him. Elegant adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s Booker Prize-winning novel starring Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson.

Book here

16:30

Spirited Away PG
2h 5m | Japanese w/ English subtitles
A 10-year-old girl must find her way home after being swept into a magical world teeming with extraordinary spirits and enchanting creatures. Hayao Miyazaki’s stunning, Oscar-winning fantasy adventure returns to the big screen.

Book here

19:30

Nosferatu 15
2h 12m
Evil plagues a small town in 1830s Germany as sinister vampire Count Orlok becomes dangerously infatuated with a young local woman. Director Robert Eggers (The Witch) breathes new life into one of cinema’s most iconic monsters.

Book here


Monday 20th January

17:30

The Remains of the Day U
2h 14m
In 1930s Britain, the ordered life of a head butler is disrupted by the arrival of a housekeeper who develops feelings for him. Elegant adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s Booker Prize-winning novel starring Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson.

Book here

20:30

Nickel Boys 12A
2h 20m
In 1960s America, two young Black men form a friendship while in a corrupt reform school. Director RaMell Ross adapts Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel as an immersive exploration of America’s buried history.

Book here


Plan your visit

Our beautiful art deco inspired auditorium can be found just off East Oxford's Cowley Road. We are open 7 days a week. We open the cinema and box office 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of each film, and the Box Office then closes 10 minutes after the film starts. We don’t show adverts, just a couple of trailers, so don't be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!