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April 1980, apartheid South Africa.

Claudia prepares a special dinner for her husband and influential judge Tertius on the eve of a death penalty verdict. The evening unfolds in unexpected ways.

https://vimeo.com/956381952

Director Biography – Jesse Brown

Jesse Brown is a South African filmmaker interested in both writing and directing. He has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Cape Town.

Dream Dinner, his winning entry for The Pitch SA 2021 competition, is his debut fiction short film. This year he is also directing his debut feature with Blended Films and Showmax.

Director Statement

Dream Dinner is my attempt at adaptation as well as looking at a period in South African history which feels so far removed from today. Archbishop Desmond Tutu called the past another country, and this short film is a navigation through distinct parts of my national landscape.
I wanted to take a character who is both privileged and trapped by the workings of her white world and explore how she would navigate its moral dilemmas. This also allowed me to explore the demands of loving one’s neighbour and the hidden cost that comes with a failure to do so.

For me, the depicted era and the characters living in them are warnings against the temptation to dehumanise the poor and less privileged.

Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ykk3oHlFCg

Jesse Brown
Director, Writer

Dirk Mostert
Producer

Sue Diepeveen
Key Cast

Deon Lotz
Key Cast

Euodia Samson
Key Cast

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