Cold Harbour

Film

by Carey McKenzie

Details

South Africa / 2014 / 73mins / Crime, Thriller / English and Xhosa, Sotho and Mandarin

While investigating a smugglers’ turf war in Cape Town, township cop Sizwe stumbles upon police corruption. His boss and mentor, Venske, gives Sizwe the case but assigns a rookie, Legama, to keep an eye on him. After Sizwe discovers that a homicide is linked to Triad (Chinese mafia) through abalone smuggling, a tip from a former comrade leads to a major bust. Despite the seized contraband being stolen within hours, Sizwe is still promoted to detective. It’s a bitter triumph though—he’s being played, and he knows it. In a world where self-interest and corruption have overtaken loyalty and honor, Sizwe is left with no one to trust and integrity demands that he take the law into his own hands.

Trailer

About the Director

Carey McKenzie

Carey McKenzie grew up in Cape Town, South Africa and got her start directing theater at Cambridge before going on to NYU’s Graduate Film Program in New York. Her NYU thesis film Heartspace was co- produced by the SABC and Big World Cinema and screened at festivals in Europe and North America. Carey’s documentary about nuclear weapons Original Child Bomb premiered at Tribeca 2004, won the grand jury prize at Silverdocs and the Bologna Human Rights Nights. An associated short film B is for Bomb won the Cannes 2006 Short Film Corner competition. Her thriller Cold Harbour premiered at the Chicago International Film Festival in October 2013, and later showed at the Durban International Film Festival in 2014. It was released nation-wide in South Africa in July 2014. The film was nominated for two awards at the 2015 Africa Movie Academy Awards: Best Actor in a leading role and Best First Feature Film by a Director. Learn More