NYADIFF 2024 Review: Banned and Joe Bullet

We got the opportunity to screen two films from this year's NY African Diaspora International Film Festival with a similar interest: being banned in South Africa. The first film is called Joe Bullet, a film made in 1973 that was banned in South Africa due to the fact that the cast was all black and the theme of the movie showcased a black hero. The second film titled Banned is a documentary of Joe Bullet and the impact it had on South African cinema and why the film was banned plus it the impact it had on the cast and crew. Therefore both films reflects the struggle of what life is like in South Africa from being criminals (in film and out of film) to being struggling actors in the country because apartheid was strong in the 1970s. One of the focal points of the festival was South African cinema and the impact it have on African cinema and the diaspora as a whole.

Joe Bullet is about a soccer team getting caught up in the criminal underworld scene. A mysterious gangster starts to sabotaging a team's chance of winning and the team turns to Joe Bullet for help. A simple story but it was more about the struggles of black people getting by in the age of apartheid and the consequences. On the other hand the thought of a black hero scared off the government officials who believed this film would encourage the black population to organize and fight back. The acting is pretty decent and the action scenes is more the focal point than the actual plot. That have been the intent of Joe Bullet: more action and less dialogue. This is where Banned comes in to explain why a simple movie plot is dangerous to the country's perception of what black people are capable of. Talking to the people who worked on Joe Bullet give us a insight of how the film industry in South Africa was restricted to black people and where black actors had to go elsewhere to work in film. On the other hand the documentary also touches on why leaving was also dangerous because leaving to act in other countries was prohibited and could lead to jail. It is safe to say that watching both films helped understand South Africa's perception of what the world should be and why Joe Bullet was not part of that equation.

Banned is a great reference documentary where one can look for a better understanding on South African films and Joe Bullet is a great starting point. When you watch both films it is not necessarily about a film but a movement that could have bridge a industry with the world. That is the true focal point of Joe Bullet and Banned: something that could help the country but instead gets buried due to government red tape.