South African Film Festival

This Side of Fabulous

Expired May 31, 2023 1:45 PM
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On duty, Patricia-Anne Swartz-Goliath shows 15 police trainees how to leopard crawl with gun in hand past the window of a building as she gives tactical training. Off duty, this robust Cape Town police captain and hostage negotiator dons a sequined Egyptian bra and skirt, shimmies her hips and teaches belly dancing. Footage of the exuberant Swartz-Goliath is a highlight of the documentary, which explores why women of all ages and sometimes wobbly shapes relish recreational belly dancing. As one senior government official explains, during her weekly belly dancing class she loses herself celebrating the “goddess within.” The finale focuses on some of the 200 dancers at the World Belly Dance Day in Cape Town, gleefully gyrating their hips as they celebrate this ancient, empowering art form.

  • Year
    2022
  • Runtime
    29 minutes
  • Language
    English, Afrikaans
  • Country
    South Africa
  • Rating
    All Ages
  • Social Media
  • Director
    Joy Sapieka, Tim Wege
  • Producer
    Joy Sapieka, Mandisa Zitha
  • Cinematographer
    Tim Wege
  • Editor
    Tim Wege, Ashleigh da Silva
  • Sound Design
    Zahir Isaacs