The Silver Fez

In a town somewhere at the end of Africa, there once lived two men obsessed with a dream. However, this dream can come true only for one of them. There is Kaatji Davis, a poor house painter, who earns barely a few cents. But he has an old banjo, a couple of good friends, and the courage to overcome Hadji Bucks, an indisputable musical champion - and to win at the carnival of medieval Islam music Cape Malay. The prize for the winner is a silver fez, the holy grail of Cape Town’s Islamic subculture. However, the fight is tough and Kaatji works hard day and night, obsessed with the dream of success and glory. Everything turns out painful for him in the end. Hadji Bucks has unlimited resources which he uses to pull Kaatji’s best friend over to his side. Ultimately, the story about music becomes a story about revenge.

The film won awards for the best documentary at film festivals in Durban and Dubai in 2009. The director Lloyd Ross was a prominent personality of the South African alternative music scene of the early 1980’s.

The screening is in partnership with Embassy of the Republic of South Africa and Shifty Media (Johannesburg).