Rise: The Siya Kolisi Story, a documentary about South Africa’s first Black rugby captain, will screen at the 2026 HACC Film Festival on Saturday, October 31. The screening starts at 5.15pm, IOL reported.
The film was directed by Tebogo Malope. Tickets cost R150 and can be bought through Quicket, according to IOL.
“We need to make sure that the people who are going to be the end viewers are not going to be fed low-quality production,” Bheki Dalla, a board member of the African Film DAO, told IOL.
Dalla warned about what could happen without strict quality control. He said “South Africa’s film industry remains uncompetitive globally, relegated to being service providers for international productions rather than telling our own stories with the ambition they deserve.”
Dalla said the film sets a blueprint for local film and production houses. He also said the hardships shown in it are authentic African stories.
The IOL reviewer said they had doubts before watching, because production quality is often a concern with local documentaries. The review said low budgets and limited resources have long set a poor standard in South Africa. It said Rise breaks that standard and sets a new benchmark for local documentary films.
The documentary opens with archive rugby footage playing on a television. According to the review, this places Kolisi’s story inside the long and complicated history of South African rugby.
The film also shows Kolisi’s childhood poverty and the loss of his grandmother. It follows him as a teenager, caught between a privileged high school and a struggling township, the review said.
It deals with his father’s absence, imprisonment and alcoholism too. Dalla said the film balances this hardship with the growth of Kolisi’s deep sense of duty.
One shot carries the words “only known footage of Kolisi at home.” The review said there is very little visual record of his early life. The film also includes the only known photograph of Kolisi as a toddler growing up in Zwide.
In one scene, Kolisi talks about losing his primary caregiver, Nolulamile. She died in his arms when he was 12 years old, according to the report.
Kolisi, known as “The Bear”, was born Siyamthanda Kolisi in Zwide, Gqeberha, on June 16, 1991. That date was Youth Day. His mother, Phakama, was 16 years old when she gave birth to him, IOL reported.
The film brings in a memory of her from Mtshakaza Street. “Phakama and I grew up, here in Mtshakaza Street. She just had this warmth I can’t explain,” the speaker says in a line quoted by IOL.
Source: this article is based on reporting by IOL Entertainment. Image: IOL Entertainment. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Entertainment desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Rirhandzu Baloyi writes about entertainment for Tzaneen Voice. Rirhandzu covers South African music, film, TV, streaming, awards and celebrity news, from amapiano and local soapies to Showmax and Netflix releases. Stories stick to what happened, who was involved and when fans can watch or listen.