| Poppie Nongena | |
| Director: | Christiaan Olwagen |
| Producer: | Helena Spring |
| Starring: | Clementine Mosimane Anna-Mart van der Merwe Chris Gxalaba |
| Cinematography: | Vicci Turpin |
| Editing: | Eva du Preez |
| Studio: | Helena Spring Films |
| Runtime: | 141 minutes |
| Country: | South Africa |
| Language: | Afrikaans |
| Based On: | Die swerfjare van Poppie Nongena by Elsa Joubert |
Poppie Nongena is a 2019 South African biographical drama film written and directed by award-winning director Christiaan Olwagen.[1] The film is based on a biographical novel Die swerfjare van Poppie Nongena (The Long Journey of Poppie Nongena) by Elsa Joubert which is also considered as one of the finest African novels of the twentieth century.[2] The film stars Clementine Mosimane playing the title role, Anna-Mart van der Merwe and Chris Gxalaba in the lead roles. The film was released on 31 January 2020 and received positive reviews from the critics.[3] It won several awards and nominations at a few film festivals. The film won 12 awards in the 2019 Silwerskerm Film Festival including the Best Film Accolade.[4] The record haul of 12 awards is regarded as the highest tally ever recorded for a single film at an Afrikaans film festival.[5]
The film revolves around Poppie Nongena, an Afrikaans/Xhosa South African whose life revolves around her family and finding stability in a period of immense upheaval in apartheid South Africa where women were forced by arrests. When Poppie's husband Stone becomes too ill to manage and maintain his contract work, Poppie is deemed by the state of law to be an illegal resident of the country.[6]
Poppie Nongena was nominated for eight Golden Horn awards at the 2020 South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTA).