Local film-maker digs into another murder
The new documentary focuses on the brutal slaying of Dulcie Evonne September, an anti-apartheid political activist from Cape Town
Renowned independent film-maker and director, Enver Samuel, has returned with another intriguing historical documentary in which he unravels the murder of an unsung icon who was robbed off her life before her time.
This new production, which he has titled Murder in Paris, follows his South African Film and Television Award-winning productions Indians Can’t Fly and Someone to Blame – The Ahmed Timol Inquest; two interlinked documentaries that inquire into the untimely death of Ahmed Timol, a young activist who died at the hands of the security police at the John Vorster Police Station in downtown Johannesburg in 1972. His death was claimed to be a suicide by the police at the time.
The new documentary, which Enver recently shot in and out of the country, focuses on the brutal slaying of Dulcie Evonne September, an anti-apartheid political activist from Cape Town, who was assassinated in Paris, France in 1988 at the age of 53.
In an interview with Northsider at his Little Falls home, Enver reflected on his latest accolade for Someone to Blame – The Ahmed Timol Inquest, a project he felt opened the door to many other similar cases which he would like to document in the future.
“The award was justification for the work that the team and I put into making the documentary. A lot of sacrifices were made, including turning down other work (which clashed with the inquest dates) in order to pursue this documentary,” he said.
Enver reflected on the film’s overwhelming reception around the world after its premiere late last year. “The documentary was received so well, it’s been picked up by a lot of film festivals in places such as Canada, Bangkok and lately Zanzibar where it was selected from among over 3 500 entries,” a chuffed Enver explained.
We then turned our focus to Dulcie’s documentary, which was recently viewed at the Encounter Film Festival at Maboneng, in the Johannesburg CBD.
“The documentary is about the late Dulcie September, who was the head of the ANC in France, Luxembourg and Switzerland. In 1988, she was killed while opening the door of an ANC office in Paris by assassins believed to be apartheid forces that were sent to kill her. She was shot five times in the face and died there,” Enver said. He added that he had made the documentary for much the same reasons as he had made the Timol movie, namely to find out why she was killed and for South Africans to learn who Dulcie was.
The documentary has not been finalised according to Enver. He said he is looking for more funding from corporates and funders with a conscience to help him conclude the project.
Enver can be reached via email to ems@eject.co.za.
