Arts and entertainment

Tsotsi steals an Oscar

6 March 2006

South African film Tsotsi won the Oscar for the best foreign language film at the 78th Academy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday.

"God bless Africa!" director Gavin Hood said on receiving the award.

"I have a speech, it's in my pocket, but that thing says 38 seconds. But mine's way too long," Hood said. "Go to tsotsi.com and there is a huge long list of people. Because I'm accepting this not for myself. This is for best foreign language film.

'Viva Africa, Viva!'
"Please stand up Presley Chweneyagae and Terry Pheto," Hood said. "My two fantastic young leads. Put the cameras on them, please. Viva Africa. Viva!

"We may have foreign language films, but our stories are the same as your stories. They're about the human heart and emotion."

Tsotsi was South Africa's second nomination for the foriegn language category in recent years, after Darryl Roodt's Yesterday in 2005.

The South African film was competing against productions from Italy, France, Palestine and Germany.

Redemption
Tsotsi - South African slang for "thug", "hoodlum" or "gangster" - tells the story of a violent young criminal who finds redemption after he inadvertently abducts a baby during a car hijacking. The film is based on a novel by South African playwright Athol Fugard.

In its North American debut, the film won the People's Choice award at the Toronto International Film Festival.

It was also the first production in over seven years to win both the audience and critics' awards for best film at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. The production reportedly received the highest audience rating of any film ever screened at Edinburgh.

Actress in a leading role
Charlize Theron was nominated in the category "actress in a leading role" for her performance in North Country, where she played the part of Josey Aimes, a single mother subjected to humiliating sexual harassment after she takes a job at a coal mine.

The category was won by American actress Reese Witherspoon for her performance in Walk the Line.

Theron won the award in 2004 for her performance in Monster.

Southafrica.info reporter



	Tsotsi, played by Presley Chweneyagae, is a criminal who finds redemption after inadvertently abducting a baby during a vehicle hijacking (Photo: Tsotsi)