The House of Mandela in collaboration with The Nelson Mandela Foundation, Tribeca Film Institute, and Montblanc present five compelling short films based on the philosophy of South Africa’s first democratically elected president through The Power of Words series. Conceived to celebrate the life and legacy of one of humankind’s most important revolutionary voices the programme simultaneously commemorates the collective ideas and moral conduct of Madiba while ensuring his philosophies will continue to have a positive impact on today’s youth, and ultimately the wider humanitarian discourse. 

For the inaugural The Power of Words (2013) the initiative enlisted a plethora of creative talent consisting of established directors paired with the (then) next generation of filmmakers. The roster included conceptual artist Hank Willis Thomas, Indian filmmaker Mira Nair (Mississippi Masala), frequent Tyla and Travis Scott collaborator Nabil Elderkin (Gully), Iranian director Ramin Bahrani (Chop Shop), as well as award-winning documentarians Eva Weber (Black Out) and James Marsh (Man On Wire). The aforementioned mentors were then paired with emerging student-filmmakers from the Tribeca Film Institute's Fellows program. 

The outcome boasts thought-provoking cinematic interpretations (both fictional and in the documentary-genre) based on a selected quote by the visionary Mandela. The films also mirror the father of democracy’s outlook by celebrating diversity with stories from Afghanistan, Jamaica, Hong Kong and the US. Themes included self-discovery, the pursuit of truth and justice, breaking cyclical systemic poverty, and a desire for peace, stability and goodwill during one's twilight years. 

The project’s significance can’t be understated in 2024, the 105th anniversary of South Africa’s first democratically ellected president, and 30th anniversary of South African democracy as a whole. 

House of Mandela in association with Slow Factory, Timeslive and more will bring new life to this mercurial series focused on stimulating new generational dialogue around The Power of Words, framed by Nelson Mandela’s speech while on trail in 1964 for treason. As contemporary changemakers and leaders use historical wisdom when making decisions that impact the world around us, The Power of Words seeks to investigate and demistify how expressions can be used by translating the written word into a visual, albeit corresponding medium, thus democratising history by making it accessible to a wider audience.

Mira Nair’s A Fork, A Spoon, And A Knight, Ugandan teacher & chessmaster Robert Katende uses the strategic board game as an educational and community building tool.

Nabil Elderkin's Capture Land, a young Rastafari sets out to fulfill his life's purpose with a pilgrimage back to his ancestral land.

Hank Willis Thomas’s Truth Booth, an earnest look at Mandela’s quote “We are not yet free,” spoke to director Hank Willis Thomas, whose Truth Booth invited all comers in Ireland, Afghanistan and the U.S. to walk into an inflatable room to speak their truths.

Eva Weber’s of the Unknown is an uncanny raw story showing the truimphs of capitalism meeting the realities of legacy of poverty as West meets East in this contemporary story about “While Poverty exists there is no true freedom”.

Ramin Bahrani’s Lift You Up Set in North Carolina, it follows a chicken egg sorter that lives by sayings like, “If you don’t give nothing, you ain’t nothing.” The Kentucky gent isn’t inspired by the potential financial gain good deeds provide, but rather the lifting affect that follows. “You might not get no money, but you’ll gain in your heart and spirit,”