Award-winning South African film God’s Work opens at Ster-Kinekor Cinema Nouveau Rosebank from 10 to 16 July after a celebrated international festival run.
After earning international recognition on the festival circuit, South African filmmaker Michael James‘s debut feature God’s Work is set for its first commercial theatrical run at Ster-Kinekor Cinema Nouveau Rosebank from 10 to 16 July.
Before reaching local audiences, the film received the Radwan El-Kashef Prize for Best Film Addressing an African Issue at the 15th Luxor African Film Festival in Egypt. Named after Egyptian filmmaker Radwan El-Kashef, the award recognises films that engage with African realities through distinctive cinematic storytelling.
Set among Durban’s unhoused communities, God’s Work begins as what appears to be a conventional documentary before shifting its focus towards the relationship between filmmaker, subject and audience. Rather than positioning itself as a definitive account of marginalised lives, the film interrogates the ethics of representation, questioning who gets to tell stories and how those stories are shaped through the lens of the camera.
For James, the project evolved from confronting the limitations of documentary filmmaking itself.
“The camera did not grant access. It revealed distance. I realised I wasn’t simply documenting reality; I was constructing it through my own perspective. Rather than hide that tension, I wanted the film to confront it directly.”
The film’s formal experimentation was recognised by acclaimed South African filmmaker Ntshavheni Wa-Luruli, who served on the Luxor jury. Wa-Luruli praised the work for pursuing its own cinematic language instead of adhering to familiar conventions, describing it as part of a new generation of South African filmmakers exploring new approaches to storytelling and representation.
Producer Sithabile Mkhize says the film is less interested in providing answers than encouraging reflection.
“God’s Work doesn’t claim to speak on behalf of anyone. Instead, it asks audiences to consider how stories are told, whose perspectives shape them, and what responsibilities come with representing lives marked by inequality.”
The cast includes Thobani Nzuza, Mbulelo Radebe, Omega Mncube, Siya Xaba, Zenzo Msomi and Nduduzo Khowa. Cinematography is by Jared Hinde, with an original score composed by George Acogny.
Its Cinema Nouveau release follows an international festival run that has included the Joburg Film Festival, the Durban International Film Festival, the Luxor African Film Festival and the Zanzibar International Film Festival.
For audiences interested in contemporary South African cinema that challenges the conventions of documentary storytelling, God’s Work offers a rare opportunity to experience the film on the big screen during its limited seven-day run in Johannesburg.
