Patriarchal bloodlines are ripped at the roots in a new short film, B (l) ind The Sacrifice, directed and written by award-winning creative Nakhane.
“The story was sparked by the notion of the biblical story of Abraham and Isaac, and primarily how Isaac must have felt being offered to God as a sacrifice by his father ... What would happen if we nipped all of this patriarchal lineage in the bud by cutting off the head of the snake; killing him,” they said.
Born in Dikeni (formerly Alice), Nakhane — who uses the pronouns they/them — made their directorial debut at the premier of the short film at the 77th Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland on Thursday last week.
B (l) ind The Sacrifice was one of 20 short films selected from 4,000 submissions to compete in the Pardi di Domani section of the festival, known for showcasing emerging filmmakers.
“Initially I wrote a short story that was more fable or myth than psychological exploration.
“By using a story that is well known to some people in the world as a springboard, I hope to create a dialogue about the stories we tell ourselves and our communities without questioning whether they are harmful or not,” they said.
Nakhane worked with esteemed producers and filmmakers Cait Pansegrouw and Elias Ribeiro of Urucu Media.
The pair are known for award-winning films such as The Train of Salt and Sugar, Necktie Youth, and Inxeba (The Wound) SA’s submission for the Oscars in 2018.
Nakhane, who performed in Inxeba, won four acting awards for the role, including best actor at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.
Pansegrouw said: “It’s always a joy to sit in the dark and experience your film with an audience for the first time.
“More than 600 people were in the cinema at the premiere and they responded beautifully to our film.”
Nakhane said: “The film looks at masculinity, the patriarchy and the power it wields, gone mad.
“I had to imagine the biblical Abraham — the initial patriarch — as a ‘real’ person.
“In doing so, I was forced to wonder what would happen if he didn’t get away with what he did.
“Imagining that his power — so mad — that he convinced his family and three servants to live their lives as nomads with no choice but to obey him.
“And so I ask — what would happen if we nipped all of this patriarchal lineage by killing him?”
The writer, singer, songwriter and actor grew up in the Christian community of Gqeberha until relocating to Johannesburg as a teenager, leaving the church in 2013.
Their first album Brave Confusion, released the same year, is a celebration of queerness. They went on to record two more studio albums and have toured Europe, the USA and Australia.
“The ambition I have for this short film is that it will be adapted into a feature where I will have room to explore not only patriarchy and the power it wields in the world, but also its contact with queerness, both covert and overt.”
Actor Sihle Mnqwazana, originally from Mthatha, shared a special anecdote on social media when the film debuted.
Mnqwazana was rehearsing for his role in the film when he heard news that his father was gravely ill at his home in the Eastern Cape.
He wrote: “I was in bed rehearsing and preparing to shoot a scene where the son in the story parts with his father.
“Little did I know that a couple of months later my real-life father would depart this earth.
“It was an emotional day for me, and I decided to channel my feelings into the work, which resulted in this beautiful piece of storytelling that I am most proud of.
“I am grateful that a month after we wrapped the amazing shoot I got the opportunity to travel down to see my father just before he passed.”
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