VANISHING ELEPHANT

HEAVEN REACHES DOWN TO EARTH

2020 | NARRATIVE | 10' | 4:3 / 2:35.1 | SESOTHO, ISIZULU & ENGLISH LANGUAGE | SUBTITLES: ENGLISH, FRENCH 

LOGLINE

Tau, a Mountain. Tumelo, a Fire. They approach each other.

The LGBTQI+ community in all its forms stands tall in...Heaven Reaches Down to Earth by Tebogo Malebogo (South Africa) which takes a look at emerging queer currents on the African continent.

 - Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival

STATEMENT

We find HEAVEN REACHES DOWN TO EARTH at a crossroads of emerging stories: queerness in Africa, traditional expectations of men within those African cultures, and the isolation that many of us find ourselves currently dealing with. 

 

It is our hope that this film serves as a snapshot of a moment, in which Tau’s realization about their sexuality acts as an accelerant that sets Tumelo on his own journey. 

 

Reflection in isolation, concerning a space as highly contested as the black body. 

Screenings

2020

Reykjavik International Film Festival 17

Hamptons International Film Festival 28*

Festival du Nouveau Cinéma 49*

Chicago International Film Festival 56*

Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur 24*

2021

Flickertest 30*

Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival 33*

*Oscar Qualifying Festival

24 Sept - 04 Oct

09 - 14 Oct

07 - 31 Oct

14 - 25 Oct

3 - 8 Nov

22 - 31 Jan

29 Jan - 6 Feb

CREW

Executive Producers

Story

Director & Screenwriter

Producer

Cast

Narrator

1st AD

Production Assistant

Director of Photography

1st AC

2nd AC

3rd AC

Additional Camera

On-Set Sound

Art Direction

BTS Photographer

Editor

Sound Editing & Mixing

Scoring & Composition

Compositor

Colourist

Poster Design

Locations 

Ecologist

Casting

Zulu Translation

Gear

Insurance

Thanks

Petrus van Staden, Tebogo Malebogo

Tebogo Malebogo, Petrus Van Staden

Tebogo Malebogo

Petrus van Staden

Thapelo Maropefela

Sizo Mahlangu

Balindile ka Ngcobo

Nala Khumalo

Walter Mzengi

Hannah Innacio

Jason Prins

Mark Van Zyl

Emile van Straaten

Paul Wallington

Luis Trujillo Garrido, Caleb Willoughby

JD Degendaar

Ornella Steduto

Joshua La Grange

Petrus van Staden

Frank David

Elu Eboka, Evan Roth

Jean Redelinghuys

Fran Verveckken @ Priest Post

Aleksander Walijewski

Jackie Tranmere

Mark Wilmot

Disco Casting

Maqhawe Madonsela

Panavision

Panalux

Soundspeed

GIB Insurance

Van Staden Family

Moagi & Malebogo Family 

Cape Nature Reserve

Athi-Patra Ruga

Leila Walter

Christopher Lawrence

Pierre de Villiers

Nicholas and Phillip Doble

Wako Sefara

Holli Bennett

Ahmad Ksibi

Indra Crittin

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