Sunny Land

In 1979, as South Africa was coming under growing international scrutiny for its racist political polices during the apartheid era, some of the nation’s business leaders felt the country’s image could use a cleanup in the interest of tourism, and Sun City was the result. Located in Bophuthatswana, a “homeland” for black citizens created by the South African government, Sun City was a lavish resort community featuring hotels, casinos, nightclubs and a wide range of leisure activities; since it was officially not in South Africa, gambling was permitted, and guests of all races were welcome (though Sun City was expensive enough that practically no South Africans of color would be able to attend), and a number of top entertainers from around the world appeared there (despite a boycott called against Sun City by the United Nations). Filmmakers Aljoscha Weskott and Marietta Kesting present a stylish and satiric chronicle of the history of Sun City in the documentary Sunny Land, in which vintage newsreel footage, interviews and staged material combine to tell the paradoxical story of a place of glamour and luxury set in a land of poverty and injustice. Sunny Land was an official selection at the 2010 Berlin International Film Festival.