Local director opens international film festival

The opening sequence shows handprints on a concrete surface coming together to form a giant South African flag. As the handprints are forming, we hear the voices of South Africans from all walks of life explaining what 10 years of freedom means to them. According to Maake: "I wanted to produce something out of the ordinary - to give people an idea of where we are and where we've come from according to everyday South Africans."

'Soldiers of the Rock' which highlights the plight of South African mine workers, was the main highlight of the festival. Maake was also invited to give a lecture at the New York University and was a guest speaker on various local radio stations. He is currently working on a new series for the SABC called 'Homecoming' that tells the story of political exiles, who came back to South Africa following its liberation.