Call Me Thief (Noem My Skollie) 2017

Daryne Joshua’s impressive debut is a portrait of life on the mean streets of 1960s Cape Town and is as much a paean to the human need for stories – and storytellers – as it is a realistic portrait of youth gang culture. Barely in their teens, Abraham and his three friends form a gang, more out of self-preservation than malice. As they grow up, their harmless antics inevitably evolve into petty crimes, and soon Abraham is in prison. It is there that his gift for telling stories protects him from the worst that prison life has to offer. Now that he’s out he wants to become a writer, but will his gang friends and society give him a chance?

This film will be available to view here for 48 hours from the listed date. It is free to watch but donations are welcomed. 

Introduction from the TANO network

Noem My Skollie is the quintessential gangster movie and it's all the more heart-wrenching as it's based on a true story - the life of the film’s script-writer, John W. Fredericks, who lived to tell his incredible journey. The film takes you right into the raw violence, poverty and crime of the marginalised Cape Flats in the 1960s. Though it makes for difficult viewing at times, including sexual assaults and murders, the authentic dialogue, great performances and expert pacing keep you hooked. The use of storytelling also serves as a soothing balm to the otherwise harsh brutality that the main characters endure. Noem My Skollie was a favourite with audiences when it first came out. The film was selected as the South African entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2017 Academy Awards, and won the Film Africa 2017 Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature Film.