This week saw the launch of ‘Richard Green in South African Film: Forging Creative New Directions’ by Keyan G. Tomaselli and Richard Green in Cape Town at the AFDA campus.

Both a history and a critique of South Africa’s film industry, this book recounts the long experience of filmmaker and producer, Richard Green.

Green’s story—especially his work in forging the film initiative New Directions Africa—is emblematic of the struggles, negotiations, and competing ideologies that faced South Africa as it emerged from apartheid. He continues to be an essential part of what is now a burgeoning industry that not only supports the creative work of Africans, but is also seen as having an important role in the nation-building process.

Richard Green in SA film as told by Richard Green and Keyan G Tomaselli, largely recounts the lifetime experience of Richard Green, a veteran international film and TV producer. This book combines so much useful material in film studies. It is a must have for students, directors, historians, theorists, stakeholders, audiences, government agencies, and more. Straddling theory, history, critique, ethnography and industry, it challenges common-sense perceptions of the South African film industry and calls for keen review of the agency of political transition across all cultural industries. The book’s strength is drawn from industry and academic experience of the authors – a rare find. If one must choose just one book about South African cinema, for introductory or advanced scholarship, this one would be it.

Keyan G. Tomaselli is Distinguished Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Johannesburg and also professor emeritus and UKZN Fellow at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Richard Green is a renowned South African filmmaker and television producer. 

To order the title: orders@bluewaver.co.za

Watch the launch event: