Jeppe on a Friday
Director Shannon Walsh
Countries South Africa, Canada
Duration 87 min
Synopsis
A city can be seen in news reports, crime statistics or the backgrounds of post-apocalyptic Hollywood blockbusters. It can be explored through guided tours, from behind rolled up car windows or through politics and history. In Jeppe on a Friday Shannon Walsh and Arya Lalloo bring together a team of women directors to explore a different city; the Johannesburg that beats in the men who occupy it. The result is an intimate, quiet portrait of five people from Jeppe, a decayed inner city neighbourhood. Part travelogue, part urban allegory, Jeppe on a Friday draws from a rich tradition of city-centered direct cinema, and offers a record of life in Johannesburg that demystifies the often maligned male-dominated metropolis.
A city can be seen in news reports, crime statistics or the backgrounds of post-apocalyptic Hollywood blockbusters. It can be explored through guided tours, from behind rolled up car windows or through politics and history. In Jeppe on a Friday Shannon Walsh and Arya Lalloo bring together a team of women directors to explore a different city; the Johannesburg that beats in the men who occupy it. The result is an intimate, quiet portrait of five people from Jeppe, a decayed inner city neighbourhood. Part travelogue, part urban allegory, Jeppe on a Friday draws from a rich tradition of city-centered direct cinema, and offers a record of life in Johannesburg that demystifies the often maligned male-dominated metropolis.