Red Dust

Based on Gillian Slovo’s (daugther of South African communist party leader, Joe) novel of the same title, RED DUST stars Academy Award-winner Hilary Swank, Chiwetel Ejiofor (DIRTY PRETTY THINGS), Jamie Barlett, Marius Weyers and Ian Roberts. The film is supposed to be "a moving and suspense-filled story that explores the effects of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission".

In RED DUST, New York City prosecutor Sarah Barcant (Hilary Swank) comes home to Smitsriver to represent the interests of the local community in the Commission hearing for Dirk Hendricks (Jamie Bartlett), a former local police officer. The Commission investigates apartheid-era atrocities and grants amnesty to those who fully confess their participation.

Key to Sarah’s case is the testimony of Alex Mpondo (Chiwetel Ejiofor), who was tortured by Hendricks. She hopes that Alex’s account will force Hendricks to reveal the whereabouts of a missing man in the community, and bring others involved in the case to justice. Alex, however, is uncomfortable with his position of victim and witness, and is reluctant to participate. He is now a promising politician, and fears not only reliving his painful memories of this time, but also facing the unknown truths that lie within them.
 
Directed by Tom Hooper and written by Troy Kennedy-Martin (ITALIAN JOB, BRAVO TWO ZERO), RED DUST is a Distant Horizon and BBC Films production in association with Videovision Entertainment and the Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa Ltd, and is produced by Anant Singh, Helena Spring, David M. Thompson, and Ruth Caleb.