The critically-acclaimed South African documentary Mother City returns to its home town for a week of impact screenings at the Labia Theatre, from 30 May to 5 June 2025, following its run on the international festival circuit.
This award-winning documentary explores Cape Town’s housing crisis through the lens of residents and activists who refuse to accept the inequality that impacts on their daily lives. Set against the backdrop of ongoing inner-city evictions and struggles for housing, Mother City resonates even more powerfully in the wake of the recent fire at Cissie Gool House, the occupied Woodstock building that features strongly in the film.
“These screenings take place on the back of the Rise Africa Urban Festival – a celebration of ideas for more inclusive and sustainable African cities which took place this week, and where we were involved with workshops and discussions around the housing crisis and solutions,” explains Miki Redelinghuys. “At a time when so many people are treated as impermanent in the city of their birth, this doccie is both a cry for justice and a call to action. Our film is more than a film. It’s a tool for building awareness, organising communities, and demanding justice in the places we call home.”
Mother City was honoured with the prestigious President Thomas Sankara Award at the FESPACO 2025 Film Festival in Burkina Faso earlier this year. It continues its impact journey as the opening night film at the Architecturas Festival in Portugal on 25 June 2025 and at the Graaff-Reinet Visionaries of Freedom Festival on 5 June, which celebrates the legacy of Robert Sobukwe during the centenary of his birth.
The filmmakers are open to host screenings in communities and to organisations and invite members of the public to contact them via mothercitydocumentary.com/take-action
Tickets are R90 for the Labia Theatre screenings and bookings can be done here.
