The Unseen Ones

Film

by Kurt Orderson

Details

South Africa / 2012 / 19mins / Documentary / Afrikaans

The film centers around 27-year old Leagan Davids, aka Nico10 long, a dispossessed youth from the township Wesbank/Delft struggling against the high crime rate, substandard schooling and unemployment on the Cape Flats while trying to raise his three-year daughter, Allevia. The Wesbank/Delft area where Niko10long and his daughter live is a RDP post-apartheid project established to be one of Cape Town's first mixed race townships. The area made world news in 2008 when backyard dwellers, who occupied over 1000 newly built N2 Gateway houses, were violently evicted by police using rubber bullets. Niko10long's lyrics reflect on his life experiences and the reality of injustice and social ills on the Cape Flats in poetic Afrikaans, giving a unique view into a world that often remains unseen unless as a crime focus in news bulletins. This is particularly evident in his first music video -- which will also be screened at the launch -- for the track, Vaderfiguur, in which he raps poetically about the daily reality of an unemployed father raising his daughter.

About the Director

Kurt Orderson

Kurt Otabenga Orderson is an award-winning filmmaker from South Africa. He has worked in over 6 continents and has directed and produced over 11 feature documentaries that have screened at international film festivals and on various broadcast outlets. Kurt is the founder of Azania Rizing Productions, a company that aims to inspire young people through creative storytelling about Africa and African Diasporas. Kurt’s 2018 award-winning documentary film Not in My Neighbourhood has thus far screened at over 18 film festivals in 5 continents including, winning best documentary and the HBO American Black Film Festival, the Audience Award at the Encounters International Documentary Film Festival and the Jury Award for Outstanding Film at the African International Film Festival. Kurt also guest lectures at various universities including; University of Cape Town, University of Pennsylvania, University of São Paulo, Brown University, University of West Indies, University of Toronto, to name a few. Learn More