Life, Above All is a 2010 South African drama film

Drama film

A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...

 directed by Oliver Schmitz

Oliver Schmitz

Oliver Schmitz 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 selected as the South African entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 83rd Academy Awards...

. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard

Un Certain Regard

Un Certain Regard is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's Official Selection. It is run at the Salle Debussy, parallel to the competition for the Palme d'Or.This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob...

 section of the 2010 Cannes Film Festival

2010 Cannes Film Festival

The 63rd annual Cannes Film Festival was held from May 12 to May 23, 2010, in Cannes, France. The Cannes Film Festival, hailed as being one of the most recognized and prestigious film festivals worldwide, was founded in 1946. It consists of having films screened in and out of competition during the...

. The film was selected as the South African entry for the Best Foreign Language Film

Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film

The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...

 at the 83rd Academy Awards

83rd Academy Awards

The 83rd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , honored the best films of 2010 and took place February 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST. During the ceremony, Academy Awards ...

 and made the final shortlist announced in January 2011. The film was adapted from the novel Chanda's Secrets (2004) by Allan Stratton

Allan Stratton

Allan Stratton is a Canadian playwright and novelist.Born in Stratford, Ontario, Stratton began his professional arts career began while he was still in high school, when James Reaney published his play The Rusting Heart in the literary magazine Alphabet. It was broadcast on CBC Radio in 1970. The...

. It's was picked up for release in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 by Sony Pictures Classics

Sony Pictures Classics

Sony Pictures Classics is an art-house film division of Sony Pictures Entertainment founded in December 1991 that distributes, produces and acquires specialty films from the United States and around the world. Its co-presidents are Michael Barker and Tom Bernard...

.

Cast

• Khomotso Manyaka - Chanda
• Keaobaka Makanyane - Esther
• Harriet Lenabe - Mrs. Tafa (as Harriet Manamela)
• Lerato Mvelase - Lillian
• Tinah Mnumzana - Aunt Lizbet
• Aubrey Poolo - Jonah
• Mapaseka Mathebe - Iris
• Thato Kgaladi - Soly
• Kgomotso Ditshweni - Dudu
• Rami Chuene - Aunty Ruth

See also

• List of submissions to the 83rd Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
• List of South African submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
• Cinema of South Africa
  Cinema of South Africa
  The cinema of South Africa refers to the films and film industry of the nation of South Africa.-List of South African films:* Sarie Marais * Die kaskenades van Dr...