Michael Apted's UP series is an acclaimed piece of sociological filmmaking that documents the lives of a group of U.K. residents every seven years. The series has also spread to South Africa, where director Angus Gibson has been assuming Apted's role and documenting the lives of a diverse array of citizens. This entry finds the 14 participants reaching the age of 21, and Gibson tracks them down to see how their lives have changed since he last filmed them. People from many different races and backgrounds are featured, and all talk openly about life in post-apartheid South Africa, and many of the problems that have beset the country in their brief lifespans.

DVD Features:

Region 1
Keep Case
Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.78
Audio:
Dolby Digital - English
Subtitles - English where needed
Additional Release Material:
Interview - Interview with 49 UP Director Michael Apted

Distributor Notes: The Jesuit maxim behind the landmark UP Series has now been taken to South Africa, where a group of children, first filmed in 1992 at the age of 7, are now 21. Rich and poor, black, white and "mixed race," the fascinating and revealing portraits featured in 21 Up South Africa offer unique insights into the social and political upheavals that have occurred throughout South Africa since the crumbling of Apartheid.

From township slums to apartheid-era mansions to the bushveldt, the 14 children who started the Series have experienced a multitude of changes, just like the country itself. As with time-lapse photography, we see them at age 7 and 14 - capturing their disarming honesty, dreams, aspirations for the future - and now at 21, figuring out their place in the world, part of the new South Africa - "Mandela's Children." In successive interviews we witness their changing attitudes and experiences about issues ranging from race relations and education, to crime and unemployment, to marriage and the AIDS crisis - which has already claimed the lives of three of these children.

Source: First Run Features Home Video

Angus Gibson: Director/"7up...South Afr