Winnie, starring Jennifer Hudson as Winnie Mandela, second wife of South Africa’s first black president, Nelson Mandela (Terrence Howard), first played the Toronto International Film Festival back in 2011 and hasn’t been heard from since.
Variety‘s Peter Debruge said it has “a title that boasts a level of intimacy this biopic simply doesn’t possess.” Ed Gibbs at The Guardian says it’s a “syrupy biography of the former wife of Nelson Mandela [and it] seeks to sugar-coat South Africa’s complex history.” And David Rooney at The Hollywood Reporter said it has some “[s]olid performances [which] are undercut by lack of storytelling integrity in this plodding biopic.”
Question now is to wonder if anything has changed since its premiere. It recently served as the opening night film at the Montreal International Black Film Festival and D Films will now release it on October 5 in Canada. Problem is, however, it’s still without a domestic distributor so if and when it will find a stateside premiere is still in question.
Directed by Darrell J. Roodt, D Films describes the plot as follows:
This intimate, in-depth and unbiased film will take the audience on a remarkable journey of understanding Winnie Mandela, exploring both her personal and political life. Through her fierce determination and dauntless courage, Winnie Mandela survived her husband’s imprisonment, continuous harassment by the security police, banishment to a small Free State town, betrayal by friends and allies, and more than a year in solitary confinement – all the while keeping the name of Nelson Mandela alive. A sensitive and balanced portrayal, the film nevertheless thoroughly investigates and honestly examines the controversies that dogged Winnie Mandela in recent years.
Perhaps if it gains enough attention with this new international trailer someone will step up and release it here in the States. Have a look below and see what you think. You can check out some pictures from the film and the poster here.
