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Summary
- Death of a Whistleblower is a powerful drama that delves into real experiences in South Africa and the African diaspora, tackling issues of corruption and illicit trade.
- The film follows journalist Luyanda as she investigates the assassination of her lover, uncovering a deep-rooted state conspiracy.
- Directed by Ian Gabriel, the film highlights the bravery of whistleblowers and the resilience of South African women.
The exclusive trailer for Death of a Whistleblower teases a deeply effective, powerful drama that is rooted in truth and the very real experiences in South Africa and the African diaspora. Coming courtesy of Known Associates Entertainment, Death of a Whistleblower follows no-nonsense journalist Luyanda Masinda, whose life is thrown into chaos when her undercover lover, Stanley, is assassinated in front of her by the very group he’s been investigating. Left in possession of Stanley’s laptop, Luyanda enlists the help of her tech-savvy best friend, Astha, to track down Stanley’s inside man – a state military whistleblower with an axe to grind named Albert. Check out our exclusive trailer for Death of a Whistleblower below.
The official synopsis for Death of a Whistleblower reads as follows:
“When investigative journalist Luyanda Masinda narrowly survives the assassination of her whistleblower lover, she joins forces with his inside man to expose the deep-rooted state capture of military assets by a corrupt and powerful group who will stop at nothing to protect their illicit chemical weapons trade across Africa.”
Described as “a cinematic sibling” to Oscar winners Spotlight, for its journalistic integrity and teamwork, and Girl with the Dragon Tattoo as it centers on a loner tracking how the truth can be weaponized, Death of a Whistleblower has been called “an edge of your seat experience.”
Death of a Whistleblower is directed by Ian Gabriel (Four Corners – South Africa’s Official Submission for 86th Oscars Best Foreign Language Film and multi-award-winning film, and Netflix’s family crime series Ludik), and co-written by Ian Gabriel, Louis Viljoen (prolific playwright with The Bile Boys, The Verbalists), and Marius Scholtz (The Tornado Outside).
Death of a Whistleblower stars Noxolo Dlamini (a West End musical theatre veteran in her debut feature film lead role, she’s known for the Netflix series JIVA! & iNumber), Kathleen Stephens (Till Next Time, Showmax series’ Tali’s Baby Diaries), Irshaad Ally (series Suidooster, Number 37), Anthony Oseyemi (host of Survivor Africa, BET’s ISONO, Netflix’s Red Sea Diving Resort, and Resident Evil), Inez Robertson (Ektasis, Atop a Grassy Hill), S’thandiwe Kgoroge (series Generations, Shaka Ilembe), and Rob Van Vuuren (Netflix’s Seal Team, The Umbrella Men).
Death of a Whistleblower Will Debut at the Toronto International Film Festival
South African director Ian Gabriel has explained why he felt now is the time to tell the affecting story central to Death of a Whistleblower, with the film reflecting the real-life issues currently taking place.
“Even though we’re in an era when many whistleblowers have been killed in South Africa in recent years, which we draw attention to and salute at the end of our narrative, it’s the positive sum game that these heroes represent that we want to work with in the telling of our story. The strong moral position of each of our South African Whistleblowers is part of a history and a tradition that is very humanist and utterly South African – it is that contribution that still outlives each of our whistleblowers and inspires us to strive for a better, fairer, more equitable South Africa, as we always have.”
“‘Wathint’ Abafazi, wathint’ imbokodo’ is a proud slogan of the struggle in South Africa – ‘when you strike a woman you strike a rock,’” Known Associates Entertainment said in a statement. “Our film consciously and proudly is reflective of strong, resilient South African women who are making a difference by standing up for what they believe in, no matter the cost.”
The film is executive produced by Joel Phiri, produced by Tshepiso Chikapa Phiri and Ian Gabriel, and Moroba Nkawe is the supervising producer. The movie is a part of the Toronto International Film Festival’s Centerpiece titles.
Death of a Whistleblower is due to have its world premiere at TIFF on Saturday, September 9th at 2:45pm EST, at TIFF Bell Lightbox (Cinema 1). It will also screen on Sunday, September 10th at 9:40pm EST at ScotiaBank (Cinema 7) and Sunday, September 17th at 10pm EST at ScotiaBank (Cinema 10).
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