As South Africa prepares to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1976 Soweto Uprising, the music documentary film Soweto Blues is returning to the spotlight, with a special screening at the 8th Nelson Mandela Children’s Film Festival (NMCFF 2026) on June 15 — on the eve of Youth Day commemorations.
The 2026 honourees at the festival include actor John Kani; film industry veteran Jackie Motsepe; film educator Dragan Milinkovic; and musician Sipho “Hotstix” Mabuse, who features in Soweto Blues.
Produced by Firdoze Bulbulia and directed by Faith Isiakpere, the film is a deeply personal documentary that reflects on the events of June 16 1976, and its lasting impact on subsequent generations.
The screening at CineCentre Killarney Mall comes after the project received international exposure at this year’s 79th Cannes International Film Festival, where a four-minute trailer of the documentary was presented during a discussion hosted by the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (Cisac) at the Afronova Pavillion.
Although Soweto Blues was not an official Cannes selection, Bulbulia presented the documentary trailer to filmmakers, producers and emerging creatives from around the world at the Cisac discussion.
“It is important for us to shine a spotlight on June ’76,” Bulbulia told TimesLIVE. “This is a film that we produced 20 years ago, and we are now using it to focus attention on the 50th anniversary of the Soweto Uprising.
“While we were in Cannes, we shared the promotional material and poster with independent producers and young filmmakers,” said Isiakpere. “At the heart of the documentary is the enduring significance of the song Soweto Blues, written by Hugh Masekela and immortalised by Miriam Makeba. The song transformed tragedy into collective memory and international solidarity.”
The Cannes presentation coincided with a panel discussion featuring South African music icon Yvonne Chaka Chaka, who has also been vice-president of Cisac since 2020, as the keynote speaker. She addressed the challenges facing African creators in an increasingly digital global marketplace.
Chaka Chaka is one of the legendary artists featured in Soweto Blues, alongside Masekela, Mbongeni Ngema, Sunny Okosun, Jennifer Ferguson and NMCFF honouree Mabuse.
Speaking at the Cisac event titled “Fair Pay, Fair Voices — Women Shaping the Future of African Audiovisual Creation”, Chaka Chaka highlighted the importance of protecting intellectual property and ensuring fair remuneration for artists.
“African stories are reaching global audiences like never before,” she told the audience. “Without strong protections, creators may not share fairly in the value generated by that global success.”
Her remarks echoed broader conversations taking place across the African creative sector about ownership, copyright and the preservation of cultural narratives.
For Bulbulia, those discussions are closely connected to the purpose of Soweto Blues.
“We want younger audiences to understand what happened in 1976 and why it still matters today,” she said.
TimesLIVE
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