''Shepherds and Butchers'' is a 2016 South African

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by

Oliver Schmitz Oliver Schmitz (born 1960) is a South African film director and screenwriter. His film '' Mapantsula'' was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival. His 2010 film '' Life, Above All'' was also screened in t ...

. It was shown in the Panorama section at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival. It is an adaptation of the

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...

of the same name by Chris Marnewick, a New Zealand-based author and former South African High Court barrister and judge.

Plot

Nearing the end of ''

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

'' in South Africa, a young white prison guard (Garion Dowds) embarks on a seemingly motiveless shooting that sees to the death of seven unarmed black men. A British-born lawyer assigned to his case ( Steve Coogan) sets out to prove his actions were a direct result of psychological trauma from his volatile work environment. The defense attorney is an ardent opponent of the death penalty.

Cast

* Steve Coogan as John Weber - Defence attorney * Andrea Riseborough as Kathleen Marais - Prosecutor * Garion Dowds as Leon Labuschagne - Defendant *

Deon Lotz Deon Lotz (born 20 July 1964)"Deon Lotz"
''TVSA: The South African TV Authority.'' Retrieved 20 ...

as Warrant Officer Rautenbach - Prison officer * Marcel van Heerden as Justice J. P. van Zyl - Chief Judge * Robert Hobbs as Pierre De Villiers - John's Brother-in-law

Awards

The film received third place in the Panorama Audience Award at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival.

References

External links

* * 2016 films 2016 drama films 2010s English-language films English-language South African films South African drama films South African crime drama films Films directed by Oliver Schmitz Films about capital punishment Apartheid films Courtroom films {{2010s-drama-film-stub