Surfing Soweto
Details
Title: Surfing Soweto
Director: Dimi Raphoto and Sara Blecher
Year: 2010
Country: South Africa
Runtime: 82′
Language: English
Subtitles: English
Trailer
Synopsis
‘Surfing’ on top of speeding trains is the ultimate adrenaline experience for South Africa’s disillusioned youth. It’s illegal, dangerous and has already killed hundreds. Surfing Soweto is the story of this forgotten generation of alienated youth, born during the glowing promise after the demise of apartheid and yet without the skills or wherewithal to reap the benefits of their newly won freedoms. Four years in the making, this documentary chronicles the lives of three of the most notorious train surfers in Soweto: Bitch Nigga, Lefa and Mzembe. Surfing Soweto shows them riding on the top of trains, which in South Africa is known as ‘ukudlala istaff’, ducking as they hurtle past lethal electrical cables, and also in the intimacy of their homes and families. ‘I always wanted to be a stuntman, explains Bitch Nigga. He doesn’t just surf trains. He ducks bridges, does push ups and has come up with his own entertainment routine, performed from the top of a racing train. Most of the surfers come from broken homes. They spend their days drinking, smoking and teaching each other the latest train surfing techniques. This documentary aims to understand their frustrations and to document the lives of the new generation of youth in Soweto.
Yard Vibes
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