Fokofpolisiekar: Forgive Them for They Know Not What They Do

In 2003, an Afrikaans punk band was a laughable idea. Many thought the name crazy. Then the music came and many were enraged - publicly protesting "die bende" (the gang) who had the strength of their own voice and the desire to question, and in a place where passion and brandy meet, many thousands became fans for life.

The film follows the story of the band over four years as they forge a place for themselves and their fans in a new South Africa, in the process challenging the stigmas and expectations placed on them by their Afrikaner heritage, the church and tradition.

Through the controversy and chaos, <i>Fokofpolisiekar</i> rose above their detractors and initiated a change in how the media perceived them and portrayed them. Through the death threats and Christian backlash they stood tall - sentries for the right to identity, freedom of thought, and the raw and often unseemly right to express one’s own truth. They unleashed a debate in the nation’s Afrikaans community that sought finally to heal the wound or at the very least to acknowledge it.

This is a story of courage, passion and belief that reverberates through the minds and hearts of their fans - a story that transcends language and culture; and bravely faces a truth that most would’ve left in darkness.