British Council Logo UK Films Database
Project Detail

The Man Who Drove with Mandela

Synopsis

During the time of apartheid Nelson Mandela drove around South Africa in a limousine disguised as a chauffeur while organizing the armed struggle against the apartheid regime. But who was the distinguished looking white man sitting in the back seat? Meet Cecil Williams, an acclaimed gay white theatre director and communist.
Official Selection Berlinale 2019 - Panorama 40

Details

Year
1998
Type of project
Features
Running time
80 mins
Director
Greta Schiller
Producer
Simon Allen, Mark Gevisser, Greta Schiller
Co-Producer
Andrea Weiss
Editor
Prisca Swan
Screenwriter
Mark Gevisser
Director of Photography
Michelle Crenshaw, Tania Hoser
Production Designer
Sheba Pombeah
Sound
Gita Cerveira, Maggie Ellis
Composer
Philip Miller, Zoltan Kovats, Daniel Neal, Vuumsi Mdluu
Principal cast
Corin Redgrave

Genre

LGBTQIA+ Human Rights Woman Director

Categories

Documentary

Production Status

Complete

Production Company

UK, South Africa, US, Netherlands, Belgium co-production

Beulah Films (ZA), Jezebel Films (UK, US), British Film Institute (UK), VPRO (NL), SABC (ZA)

Sales Company

SND Films

Jezebel Productions

PO Box 1348
New York
NY 10113-1348
USA

Page updates

This page was last updated on 12th May 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.

Suggest amendments

See also

You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.

A Distant Call A Distant Call

Director: Andrea Suwito

Year: 2026

In the ancient Bugis way of life in Indonesia, gender non-binary ‘bissu’ were once revered spiritual leaders. Eka, one of the last remaining bissu, decides to leave behind their identity, searching for belonging in a world that insists on definitions.

Asian
Solstice on Grímsey Island Nation

Director: Nikolai Galitzine

Year: 2026

When a church burns down in a storm, a remote arctic community come together to preserve their identity as they face an uncertain future.

Climate / Environment
A reality TV presenter speaks to the camera, looking directly into the lens. Tops

Director: Ames Pennington

Year: 2024

A fun pastiche of chaotic, brash, self-deprecating and clueless 1990s/2000s British reality TV, TOPS sees self-proclaimed future award-winning filmmaker Ames Pennington present their landmark faux-documentary. Casting themselves as an invasive TV presenter, Ames goes on a satirical odyssey through the lives and homes of four unique individuals, exploring the crucial question that defines the transmasc experience: “What TOP did you want to wear after TOP surgery?” Official Selection BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival 2024 - World premiere Official Selection Kashish Pride Film Festival 2024 - International premiere

Comedy Docufiction LGBTQIA+