‘A Country Reborn’ – SA through the lens of an LA filmmaker

This short film entitled A Country Reborn was made by Mendel Katz, an LA-based filmmaker and cinematographer during his first visit to South Africa.

Mendel is the brother of Zissy Lewin, one of the founders of online wellness and lifestyle magazine Nutreats, where we get a lot of our health and wellness tips.

The film was shot between June and August 2016 and showcases some of the places Mendel visited on his trip – like the traditional African villages in KwaZulu-Natal, townships and settlements passed on a road trip to the south coast, and his visit to a game reserve.

The filming also took place during the 2016 municipal elections, which you see in clips from rallies prior to election day, as well as snippets from election day 2016 in Soweto, where Mendel and some local photographers went.

For Mendel, being able to see both the tourist attractions and those parts of South Africa most tourists won’t see and capture that imagery was an eye-opening and incredible experience, which he hopes comes through in the video.

We love the way the video captures the essence of South Africa through the eyes of a foreigner. It reminds us to become and remain mindful of the amazing country we live in and never to take anything for granted.

Mendel will be in South Africa in October and plans on coming back regularly to visit his wife’s family and explore more of what South Africa has to offer.