The result is APART an ambitious animated short film that revisits one of the darkest chapters in South African history through an unexpected lens: the friendship of two young boys
The film represents a powerful intersection of South African storytelling, global creative talent and extraordinary artistic craftsmanship.
Few animated shorts can claim a creative line-up of this calibre.
Spike Lee brings his distinctive storytelling perspective and longstanding commitment to socially conscious filmmaking to the writing team of Tim Jones, Jeff Leisawitz and Lubabalo Mtati,
Black Coffee, one of South Africa’s most internationally recognised musical exports, shapes the film’s sonic identity as music supervisor.
Laduma Ngxokolo, whose Maxhosa Designs have taken South African cultural expression to the global fashion stage, brings his unmistakable Xhosa-inspired aesthetic to the characters’ wardrobes.
And at the centre of it all is director Pola Maneli, whose distinctive visual language has been recognised internationally, including appearances on the cover of The New Yorker and in the collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Together, they have created more than an animated film.
They have created a meeting point for African art, music, fashion, history and storytelling.
And in an era increasingly dominated by artificial intelligence, the team made a deliberate creative choice.
Not a single frame was made using AI.
Perhaps the most extraordinary aspect of APART is the sheer scale of its production.
The film combines four animation techniques: traditional frame-by-frame 2D animation, cut-out animation, 3D and 2.5D.
Its 18,000 frames include 8,000 animated on twos, requiring an extraordinary commitment to traditional craftsmanship.
The production involved 266 professionals, 157 animation artists, 50 members of the art department, 14 different software tools and 600 days, bringing 18,000 frames to life.
The result is a film that doesn’t simply tell a story about humanity. It is a testament to what human creativity can achieve.
The visual language also draws inspiration from a particularly significant chapter of South African resistance.
During apartheid, woodcut printing became an important artistic medium for communicating anti-apartheid messages, bypassing censorship and documenting the experiences of Black South Africans.
APART pays homage to that tradition, incorporating woodcut-inspired imagery into its animation.
It’s a fitting creative choice.
An art form once used to challenge oppression now helps tell a story about the human cost of that oppression.
And while the technology available to filmmakers has evolved dramatically, the team behind APART has made a statement about the continued value of the human hand.
In an age of AI, APART is a celebration of authentic intelligence, artistic collaboration and the irreplaceable power of human imagination.
Set against the brutal realities of Apartheid South Africa, APART follows Themba and Joel, two young boys whose friendship defies the racial divisions of their world.
As hatred, fear and systemic injustice threaten to tear them apart, their bond faces its greatest test in the form of a life-saving gesture.
Through the innocence of childhood, the film confronts the cruelty of institutionalised racism while exploring something far more enduring: our capacity for empathy, courage and connection.
It’s a story about two boys growing up in a divided country.
But its message extends far beyond South Africa’s borders.
At a time when societies around the world continue to grapple with division, intolerance and polarisation, APART offers a timely reminder that humanity is not defined by what separates us, but by what connects us.
For director Pola Maneli, the film’s significance lies in its ability to make audiences believe in the possibility of connection, even against seemingly insurmountable social forces.
As Maneli explains in his director’s statement, the story is ultimately about a love powerful enough to challenge those forces, while reminding audiences that such bonds require active advocacy and resistance to complacency.
That sentiment is at the heart of APART.
Because although apartheid belongs to South Africa’s history, the responsibility to confront prejudice, defend humanity and protect our shared future belongs to everyone.
APART is not simply a film about a country that was once divided.
It is a film about the choices that can bring people together.
And the extraordinary things we can create when we choose to do so.
