search

DIFF: Tsotsi (UK/South Africa)

South Africa's nomination for foreign film for the Academy Awards

DIFF: Tsotsi (UK/South Africa)
In a shantytown on the edges of Johannesburg, South Africa, 19-year-old Tsotsi has repressed any memory of his past. Orphaned at an early age, Tsotsi has lived a life of extreme social and psychological deprivation. A feral young man with scant regard for the feelings of others, he has hardened himself against any feelings of compassion. With no past and no plans for the future, he exists only in an angry present.

One night, during an alcohol-fueled evening at a local bar, a man pressures Tsotsi to reveal something from his past or even his real name--"tsotsi" means "thug" or "gangster" in the street language of the South African ghetto. Tsotsi tells nothing, but the man keeps pushing, prodding and digging until Tsotsi lashes out with his fists and beats the man to a pulp.

Tsotsi turns and flees into the night. When he reaches the more affluent suburbs of the city, he sees an easy opportunity for an impromptu car jacking. As he races away in the silver BMW, he hears something in the back seat--the cry of a 3-month-old baby. Tsotsi loses control of the vehicle and crashes on a deserted road. He staggers from the vehicle and walks away, but returns moments later. Hesitating at first, he gathers up the infant, puts it into a large shopping bag and heads for the shantytown on foot.

Soon realizing that he cannot handle the responsibility, he finds a young woman with a baby of her own and forces her to care for the child. Terrified at first, she gradually takes on the role of mother to the baby and mentor to the young gangster. As their relationship tentatively progresses, Tsotsi is compelled to confront his own violent nature and to reveal his past.

Tsotsi won the People's Choice Award at this year's Toronto Film Festival and is South Africa's nomination for foreign film for the Academy Awards.

DIFF: Tsotsi (UK/South Africa)

$7 ($5 for students)

Sat November 19, 2005, 9:30 only, Muenzinger Auditorium

Great Britain/South Africa, 2005, in Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans, 71 minutes, Color

recommend

Tickets

10 films for $60 with punch card
$9 general admission. $7 w/UCB student ID, $7 for senior citizens
$1 discount to anyone with a bike helmet
Free on your birthday! CU Cinema Studies students get in free.

Parking

Pay lot 360 (now only $1/hour!), across from the buffalo statue and next to the Duane Physics tower, is closest to Muenzinger. Free parking can be found after 5pm at the meters along Colorado Ave east of Folsom stadium and along University Ave west of Macky.

RTD Bus

Park elsewhere and catch the HOP to campus

International Film Series

(Originally called The University Film Commission)
Established 1941 by James Sandoe.

First Person Cinema

(Originally called The Experimental Cinema Group)
Established 1955 by Carla Selby, Gladney Oakley, Bruce Conner and Stan Brakhage.

C.U. Film Program

(AKA The Rocky Mountain Film Center)
First offered degrees in filmmaking and critical studies in 1989 under the guidance of Virgil Grillo.

Celebrating Stan

Created by Suranjan Ganguly in 2003.

C.U. Department of Cinema Studies & Moving Image Arts

Established 2017 by Chair Ernesto Acevedo-Muñoz.

Thank you, sponsors!
Boulder International Film Festival
Department of Cinema Studies & Moving Image Arts

Looking for a gift for a friend?
Buy a Frequent Patron Punch Card for $60 at any IFS show. With the punch card you can see ten films (a value of $90).

We Want Your Feedback

Cox & Kjølseth
: Filmmaker Alex Cox & Pablo Kjølseth discuss film topics from their own unique perspectives.

Z-briefs
: Pablo and Ana share Zoom-based briefs on what's currently playing at IFS

Search IFS schedules

Index of visiting artists

Mon Apr 1, 2024

Hot Shots! Part Deux

At Muenzinger Auditorium

Sat Apr 20, 2024

Super Mario Bros.

At Muenzinger Auditorium

more on 35mm...