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Residency Thursday with Adrian Van Wyk
Asian Premiere of What the Soil Remembers
What the Soil Remembers examines the trauma of the Die Vlakte community uprooted during the apartheid regime in 1960s South Africa, bringing to the fore the university built in its place that would become synonymous with the foundation of Apartheid (Afrikaans for “separateness”). The film recounts this defining moment in Cape Town through the lens of the elders who experienced the violent displacement and sit at the centre of the ongoing process of reconciliation. To this day, the university continues to grapple with its legacy of prejudice while the community stands strong in their demand for reparations, possible only through the power of collective action.
What the Soil Remembers has garnered multiple international nominations and accolades from the International Film Festival Rotterdam, Durban International Film Festival, Regina International Film Festival and more. On this occasion of the Asian premiere, the screening will be followed by a dialogue and Q&A with producer Adrian Van Wyk, who is currently artist-in-residence at SAM.
Content Guidance: contains offensive language.
Banner image: What the Soil Remembers, 2023. Documentary film, 29 mins. Courtesy of Adrian Van Wyk.
about the artist
Adrian Van Wyk is a filmmaker, creative producer and cultural historian whose projects reveal the diasporic manifestation of Hip Hop culture onto the Cape Flats on the periphery of Cape Town. Adrian’s work brings attention to the multimodal histories of the African continent by considering the connection its young people maintain with the diaspora. This research has oriented several documentary features including Notes from the Underground: A Cape Town Hip Hop Story (present), and What the Soil Remembers (2023).