Lionel Ngakane

Born: None

Lionel Ngakane (17 July 1928 – 26 November 2003) was a South African filmmaker and actor, who lived in exile in the United Kingdom from the 1950s until 1994, when he returned to South Africa after the end of apartheid. His 1965 film Jemima and Johnny, inspired by the 1958 "race riots" in Notting Hill, London, won awards at the Venice and Rimini film festivals. In the 1960s, Ngakane was a founding member of the Pan African Federation of Filmmakers (FEPACI) and Fespaco, the Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO). Ngakane was born in Pretoria, South Africa.[2] In 1936, his family and he moved to the Sophiatown neighbourhood of Johannesburg. His father (a teacher) set up a hostel with Alan Paton, author of the 1948 novel Cry, The Beloved Country. Ngakane was educated at Fort Hare University College and the University of Witwatersrand, and worked on Drum and Zonk magazines from 1948 to 1950. In 1950, he began his career in film as an assistant director and actor in the film version of Cry, the Beloved Country (1951), directed by Zoltan Korda. Shortly thereafter, Ngakane went into exile in the United Kingdom. As an actor, he appeared in films, including The Mark of the Hawk in 1957 (with Eartha Kitt), on television — Quatermass and the Pit (1958) and the spy series Danger Man (Deadline, 1962) with Patrick McGoohan, and on stage — in Errol John's Moon on a Rainbow Shawl,[5] and Wole Soyinka's play The Lion and the Jewel at the Royal Court Theatre in 1966.[6] Ngakane returned to South Africa after the end of apartheid in 1994. He is best remembered for his short film Jemima and Johnny (1965), inspired by the 1958 "race riots" in Notting Hill, London. It won awards at the Venice and Rimini film festivals. He also directed documentaries on apartheid and African development. He was honorary president of the Pan African Federation of Filmmakers (FEPACI), which organization he had originated in 1967 as a lobbying group for the support of African filmmakers.[2] He died in Rustenburg, South Africa, in 2003, aged 75.


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The Squeeze

as West Indian
Released: 1977-03-20

An alcoholic London ex-cop becomes involved in a kidnapping drama and tries to free the daughter...

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Safari

as Makora
Released: 1956-06-20

Wealthy eccentric Sir Vincent Brampton and his fiancée Linda Latham hire Ken Duffield to lead...

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Cry, the Beloved Country

as Absolom Kumalo
Released: 1951-11-16

In the back country of South Africa, black minister Stephen Kumalo journeys to the city to...

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The Painted Smile

as Barman
Released: 1962-05-01

Jo and Mark are working the "outraged husband" racket when they fall foul of the sinister...

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Two Gentlemen Sharing

as Bill
Released: 1969-09-17

An insecure Briton and a Briton of Jamaican descent share a London apartment together.

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In Darkest Hollywood: Cinema and Apartheid

as Self
Released: 1994-02-18

A documentary overview and ideological critique of the South African film industry and cinema's...

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Duel in the Jungle

as Servant
Released: 1954-06-30

An American insurance investigator is sent to Rhodesia to investigate the mysterious death of a...

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Child of Hope

as Mutumbulua
Released: 1975-04-24

Thirty-seven men from the disputed territory of South West Africa are on trial for their lives...

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Victims of Apartheid

as Mokwe
Released: 1978-10-24

George, a black South African, finds it hard to settle down in London after his experiences in...

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Nothing Barred

as Convict
Released: 1961-10-10

Penniless Lord Whitebait's plan to save his sinking fortunes is to open stately Whitebait Manor...

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Nor the Moon by Night

as Nimrod
Released: 1958-08-07

When Alice Lang flies out to Kenya to marry gamekeeper Andrew Miller she is met by his brother...

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Wind Versus Polygamy

as Ofodile
Released: 1968-07-15

When Councillor Ogidt and Mr. Madu come to Chief Ozuomba's court, both wanting to marry Elina,...

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