Heaven Reaches Down to Earth 2020

Tau comes to a realisation, setting in motion a cascade of thoughts and emotions in Tumelo - nothing will ever be the same between them.

Screening as part of the short film competition. Vote for your favourite!

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

Tebogo Malebogo is a South African director. His first short, Mthunzi (2019), premiered at Locarno and New York Film Festival. It was awarded the Special Jury Award at AFI Fest. His sophomore short, Heaven Reaches Down to Earth (2020), screened at Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival and Chicago International Film Festival.

Director Statement

We find Heaven Reaches Down to Earth at a crossroads of emerging stories: queerness in Africa, traditional expectations of men within those African cultures, and the isolation that many of us find ourselves currently dealing with.

It is our hope that this film serves as a snapshot of a moment, in which Tau’s realization about their sexuality acts as an accelerant that sets Tumelo on his own journey. Reflection in isolation, concerning a space as highly contested as the black body.

- Tebogo Malebogo