A scene from the short film, AMazeze (Fleas)
Amazeze (Fleas): Through the eyes of a child: the harrowing reverberations of xenophobia
Durban International Film Festival
Following its world premiere earlier this year at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival (France), Amazeze (Fleas), a gritty short by South African director Jordy Sank and producer Gabriella Blumberg, screens at the 2025 Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) in the short film competition.
Told in Shona and isiZulu, the 16-minute film evokes the raw tension of displacement, survival, and hope during the frightening wave of xenophobia sweeping the country.
The story of Amazeze (Fleas) unfolds from the perspective of Tonderai, a young Zimbabwean boy residing in a South African township, who eagerly anticipates his mother’s return from work at dusk. Tonderai fears for his mother’s safety as a xenophobic mob rampages that night. He watches over his bedridden younger brother, who becomes desperate for drinking water. With no running water in their shack, Tonderai must lurk in the shadows at the communal tap to bring his brother back safe drinking water. In doing so, he must risk his life against a mob in his neighbourhood that attacks foreigners.
Sanktuary Films, known for its bold visual style and human-centred storytelling, brings this urgent story to life. The two have produced past successes such as the SAFTA award-winning documentary I Am Here (2021) and the box-office success Die Kwiksilwers (2024), which became the highest-grossing Afrikaans film at the box office post-COVID-19 last month.
“Amazeze (Fleas) was born from our desire to tell stories about people and their humanity,” says director Jordy Sank. “I’m always looking to take on projects that are catalysts for important conversations, and there is a need for us to confront the painful realities faced by many foreign nationals living in the country and their South African friends and family—stories that are too often ignored or buried in fear.”
“Amazeze (Fleas), was developed in close consultation with anti-xenophobia activists and shaped through powerful conversations with both local and migrant communities. It was essential for us not just to tell a story about xenophobia, but to tell it with those affected by it.”
Producer Gabriella Blumberg comments, “We believe that cinema has the power to spark meaningful dialogue and build empathy by immersing audiences in different lived experiences. We hope this film continues this conversation within impact spaces.”
Amazeze (Fleas) started its development journey when it was selected for the 2022 Durban FilmMart Talents Durban and was one of four international projects chosen to pitch at La Petite Fabrique—Euro Connection at the prestigious Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Market (2023). It has been supported and funded by the Institut Français d’Afrique du Sud, the National Film and Video Foundation, the Gauteng Film Commission, and the Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme (which created 87 job opportunities in this film alone). It has been picked up by sales agents EROÏN FILMS.
The filmmakers hope to use Amazeze (Fleas) in impact screenings during its current international festival run. The film concludes with a message of hope—one that the filmmakers wish will resonate across South Africa. Just as children do not perceive nationality, the documentary is a call to recognise our shared humanity.
The film screens in a Shorts Package at DIFF on Sunday, 20 July, at 2:00 p.m. at Suncoast Cinecentre and on Sunday, 27 July, at 2:15 p.m. at Watercrest Sterkinekor. On Saturday, 2 August, the film screens at 14h30 in Johannesburg at the Bioscope and in Cape Town at The Labia.
Visit ccadiff.ukzn.ac.za/diff46/fleas/ and follow @sanktuaryfilms for more information on how to book.
