I, Afrikaner

Annalet "Makkie" Steenkamp belongs to a family of white Afrikaner farmers. She recorded moments in the everyday lives of her family for almost nine years, in an examination of their unbreakable bond with the land of South Africa. The family experiences firsthand how that bond is put to the test, and just how complex it is to set up a new social and political structure. Apartheid may be over, but racism has left deep scars in South African society. Blacks and whites live largely segregated lives, and the farmers, who still constitute the propertied and employing classes, experience a rampant growth in violence against them. The many sides of this story are visible in content as well as form, with Steenkamp alternating carefully framed shots of the South African landscape with footage of her family's home life. We see four generations reflecting on their personal and political situation. The director's grandmother fled the farm following several incidents of violence, her mother sleeps with an automatic weapon next to her bed, and her sister-in-law has doubts about starting a family. Her niece Shanel, however, who was born after apartheid, is fully involved with black culture. In her words, "Everyone's blood is the same color red." (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)