''Winnie Mandela'' is a 2011 South African-Canadian

historical drama A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and s ...

film starring

Jennifer Hudson Jennifer Kate Hudson (born September 12, 1981), also known by her nickname J.Hud, is an American singer, actress, and talk show host. Throughout her career, she has received various accolades for her works in recorded music, film, televisio ...

and

Terrence Howard Terrence Dashon Howard (born March 11, 1969) is an American actor. Having his first major roles in the 1995 films ''Dead Presidents'' and '' Mr. Holland's Opus'', Howard broke into the mainstream with a succession of television and cinema roles ...

as Winnie and

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid activist who served as the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first black head of state and the ...

. Based on Anne Marie du Preez Bezrob's biography ''Winnie Mandela: A Life'', the film is directed by

Darrell Roodt Darrell James Roodt (born in Johannesburg, 28 April 1962) is a South African people, South African film director, screenwriter and producer. He is probably most well known for his 1992 film ''Sarafina! (film), Sarafina!'' which starred actress W ...

and co-stars

Wendy Crewson Wendy Jane Crewson (born May 9, 1956) is a Canadian actress and producer. She began her career appearing on Canadian television, before her breakthrough role in 1991 dramatic film '' The Doctor''. Crewson has appeared in many Hollywood films, inc ...

, Elias Koteas and Justin Strydom.

Image Entertainment RLJ Entertainment (formerly Image Entertainment) is an American film production company and home video distributor, distributing film and television productions in North America, with approximately 3,200 exclusive DVD titles and approximately 34 ...

released the film in theaters on September 6, 2013. It received generally negative reviews.

Plot

Following the life of

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Winnie Madikizela-Mandela (born Nomzamo Winifred Zanyiwe Madikizela; 26 September 1936 – 2 April 2018), also known as Winnie Mandela, was a South African anti-apartheid activist and politician, and the second wife of Nelson Mandela. She ser ...

(

), from her strict rural upbringing by a father disappointed she was not born a boy, to her giving up the chance to study in America in order to remain in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

where she felt more needed, through her husband

's (

) imprisonment. She then faces continuous harassment by the security police, banishment to a small

Orange Free State The Orange Free State ( nl, Oranje Vrijstaat; af, Oranje-Vrystaat;) was an independent Boer sovereign republic under British suzerainty in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, which ceased to exist after it was defeat ...

town, betrayal by friends and allies, and more than a year in solitary confinement. Upon her release, she continues her husband's activism against

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 ...

and, after his release from prison, suffers divorce due to her infidelity and political pressures. She also faces accusations of violence and murder and in the end, must own up to her actions in court, while many still remain loyal to her because of her fight against apartheid.

Cast

Winnie Mandela Winnie Madikizela-Mandela (born Nomzamo Winifred Zanyiwe Madikizela; 26 September 1936 – 2 April 2018), also known as Winnie Mandela, was a South African anti-apartheid activist and politician, and the second wife of Nelson Mandela. She ser ...

as Mary Botha * Elias Koteas as Major de Vries * Justin Strydom as Chief Policeman * Aubrey Poo as Peter Magubane * Jonathan Rands as Judge de Wet *

Hlomla Dandala Hlomla Dandala (born 22 September 1974) is a South African actor, television presenter, and director. He is best known for his roles as Derek Nyathi in '' Isidingo'' (1998–2001), title character Jacob Makhubu in ''Jacob's Cross'' (since 200 ...

Oliver Tambo Oliver Reginald Kaizana Tambo (27 October 191724 April 1993) was a South African anti-apartheid politician and revolutionary who served as President of the African National Congress (ANC) from 1967 to 1991. Biography Higher education Oliv ...

Leleti Khumalo Leleti Khumalo (born 30 March 1970) is a South African actress known for her leading role in the movie and stage play '' Sarafina!'' and for her roles in other films such as ''Hotel Rwanda'', '' Yesterday'' and ''Invictus'', as well as the soap ...

as Adelaide Tambo * Clive Scott as Judge FL Rumpff * John Whiteley as Cecil Williams * Nhlanhilo Milo as Zenani Mandela * Zinhle Mabena as

Zindzi Mandela Zindziswa "Zindzi" Mandela (23 December 196013 July 2020), also known as Zindzi Mandela-Hlongwane, was a South African diplomat and poet, and the daughter of anti-apartheid activists and politicians Nelson Mandela and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. ...

* Damon Berry as Rev Verryn * Fezile Mpela as

Cyril Ramaphosa Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa (born 17 November 1952) is a South African businessman and politician who is currently serving as the fifth democratically elected president of South Africa. Formerly an anti-apartheid activist, trade union leader, and ...

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

F.W. de Klerk Frederik Willem de Klerk (, , 18 March 1936 – 11 November 2021) was a South African politician who served as state president of South Africa from 1989 to 1994 and as deputy president from 1994 to 1996 in the democratic government. As South A ...

* Zibuse Zihle as

Walter Sisulu Walter Max Ulyate Sisulu (18 May 1912 – 5 May 2003) was a South African anti-apartheid activist and member of the African National Congress (ANC). Between terms as ANC Secretary-General (1949–1954) and ANC Deputy President (1991–1994), h ...

* Albert Maritz as Chris Hattingh

Production

Writers Andre Pieterse and Darrell Roodt, who also directed, developed the screenplay based on Anne Marie du Preez Bezrob's biography ''Winnie Mandela: A Life''. The film was produced by Equinoxe Films. Filming took place in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a Megacity#List of megacities, megacity, and is List of urban areas by p ...

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

, and Robben Island in South Africa beginning in April 2010.

Controversy

Winnie Mandela criticized the fact that she was not consulted for the making of a film about her life, stating, "I have absolutely nothing against Jennifer udson, the film's star but I have everything against the movie itself. I was not consulted. I am still alive, and I think that it is a total disrespect to come to South Africa, make a movie about my struggle, and call that movie some translation of a romantic life of Winnie Mandela." Some South African actors also criticized the selection of American actors for South African roles; Oupa Lebogo, general secretary of the Creative Worker's Union (CWU) said of Hudson's casting, "This decision must be reversed, it must be stopped now. If the matter doesn't come up for discussion, we will push for a moratorium to be placed on the film being cast in South Africa. We are being undermined, there is no respect at all." A preview of the film released in November 2010 was referred to by the filmmakers as originating from computer hackers, saying it was an "unauthorised download originated from a secure website belonging to our sales representative, Filmbridge ... The material was not formally edited, graded or sound-mixed. At this stage, the producers have elected to make no further comment and are investigating the matter."

Release and reception

The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2011. By April 2012,

T.D. Jakes Thomas Dexter Jakes (born June 9, 1957), known as T. D. Jakes, is an American bishop, author and filmmaker. He is the bishop of The Potter's House, a non-denominational American megachurch. Jakes's church services and Evangelistic sermons are b ...

and his company TDJ Enterprises/Film Bridge International had taken over the production, distribution and marketing of the film. It was released to a limited number of theatres in Canada on October 5, 2012. On May 16, 2013,

acquired the rights to release the film in North America.Cannes: Image Entertainment Acquires Rights To Winnie Mandela Biopic
Retrieved May 17, 2013 The film holds a rating on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

based on reviews from 34 critics. The site's consensus states, "''Winnie Mandela'' takes few chances and delves only superficially into its subject's life, making it feel more like a too-earnest made-for-TV movie than a proper biopic." Rick Groen of ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'' says, "Winnie begins as hagiography and ends in hellish confusion," and Linda Barnard of the ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and par ...

'' said, "It won't satisfy history students curious about this polarizing figure, nor fans of its star, Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson." David Rooney of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...

'' stated, "Solid performances are undercut by lack of storytelling integrity in this plodding biopic," and Ed Gibbs of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

'' said, "This syrupy biography of the former wife of Nelson Mandela seeks to sugar-coat South Africa's complex history." b

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Winnie Mandela 2011 films 2010s biographical films South African biographical drama films Canadian biographical drama films English-language Canadian films 2010s English-language films English-language South African films Apartheid films Films based on biographies Films about race and ethnicity Films set in South Africa Films shot in South Africa Films about Nelson Mandela Cultural depictions of Nelson Mandela Cultural depictions of Winnie Mandela 2010s Canadian films