Cry Freedom

"The true story of the friendship that shook South Africa and awakened the world."

1987 2h 37m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 241

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A dramatic story, based on actual events, about the friendship between two men struggling against apartheid in South Africa in the 1970s. Donald Woods is a white liberal journalist in South Africa who begins to follow the activities of Stephen Biko, a courageous and outspoken black anti-apartheid activist.

“The true story of the friendship that shook South Africa and awakened the world.”

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Cast

Kevin Kline
Donald Woods
Denzel Washington
Steve Biko
Penelope Wilton
Wendy Woods
Kate Hardie
Jane Woods
John Matshikiza
Mapetla
Zakes Mokae
Father Kani
John Thaw
Kruger
Kevin McNally
Ken

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Richard Attenborough
Writers: John Briley
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom, Zimbabwe

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Clocks in at 157 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 89% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

39 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, Zimbabwe.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Richard Attenborough, shot by Ronnie Taylor. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Jonas Gwangwa. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Lesley Walker shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Kevin Kline and Denzel Washington and Penelope Wilton carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Richard Attenborough directs. Ronnie Taylor behind the camera. Jonas Gwangwa scores. Lesley Walker cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United Kingdom, Zimbabwe. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Clocks in at 157 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.
2Earned back only 89% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
339 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, Zimbabwe.
5Directed by Richard Attenborough, shot by Ronnie Taylor. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Jonas Gwangwa. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Lesley Walker shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Kevin Kline and Denzel Washington and Penelope Wilton carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "The true story of the friendship that shook South Africa and awakened the world.".
10IMDB entry: tt0092804 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 13 themes, including "journalist", "1970s", "male friendship", "south africa".
12Released under 21 different titles around the world.