Ellen Pakkies
Based on true events, Ellen tells of the troubled relationship between a mother and her drug-addicted son - a relationship that will eventually drive her to the edge and lead to his murder. In 2007, the death of 20 year old Abie Pakkies created a stir in South Africa and the world. The most disturbing part of the case was that the murderer was his mother, Ellen. When advocate Adrian Samuels takes on the case, he is determined to prove that Ellen Pakkies had no choice. But what compelled her to stop seeking help? How does a mother become desperate enough to take her own son's life? Told across two timelines, Ellen is the harrowing account of a woman put through the penal system, tried for murder and driven by an unflinching love for her son. It delves into the inner psyche of a family ravaged by drugs in one of the most dangerous communities in South Africa. A scourge that extends beyond the Cape Flats and highlights a systematic failure to protect the poorest of the poor.
The story of Anna, a teacher who through an error in judgement loses everything that matters to her in life. In her heartache she finds a job at a farm school called Uitvlucht in the Eastern Cape. As she is confronted with the choices she made in her life she slowly starts experiencing healing and restoration and learns to forgive herself. She starts accepting her circumstances and the fact that someone will love her again. With the support of the teachers and Dok, a kind hearted and friendly farmer, who visits the school and make friends with Anna, she finds the courage to re-build herself and others around her. Besides her own drama, she must also suddenly deal with the alcohol abuse of school parents, molestation and ruthless people who have no respect for their own lives.
Beulah
Abraham, a dedicated husband and father, struggles to provide for his young wife, Katie, and their four-year-old daughter. But, through his creative determination, he finds patronage in Jong Jans and Jong's wife, Almeri. Abraham and Katie settle into their new home, working for Jong and Almeri, but Katie's battles with mental illness and alcoholism rock the boat. Abraham staunchly supports his wife, but his own ambitions as an artist make him restless. Abraham is a dreamer who wishes to rise above his station in life and make his mark on the world, but the realities of his circumstances get in the way of happiness. In Afrikaans language with English subtitles.
