Ernest Cole: Lost and Found by Raoul Peck at TIFF Lightbox

Ernest Cole: Lost and Found by Raoul Peck

Playing December 6 & 11, 2024
TIFF Lightbox, Toronto
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Director: Raoul Peck
Narrated by: LaKeith Stanfeild

In theaters December 6th & 11th, Ernest Cole: Lost and Found is the critically acclaimed new film from award-winning director and writer Raoul Peck, the master filmmaker behind I Am Not Your Negro (2016), Lumumba (2000), and Silver Dollar Road (2023). The film premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, where it won Cannes Documentary award, the L’Œil d’or, followed by its North American premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. Voiced by LaKeith Stanfield (Judas and the Black Messiah (2021), Knives Out (2019), Sorry to Bother You (2018)), whose soulful narration brings Cole’s words to life.

Raoul Peck’s newest documentary centers around the enduring legacy of the first Black freelance photographer in South Africa, Ernest Cole, and his struggle against oppression, alienation and injustice. Known for his photojournalism, Ernest Cole captured a raw, unfiltered view of Apartheid South Africa and the oppression he faced there and in the United States. The film chronicles his journey, from secretly smuggling his photos out of South Africa to the publication of his ground-breaking book of photographs “House of Bondage.” His work exposed the brutal reality of apartheid to the world and forced Cole into exile from South Africa, making him a stateless person, and led him to New York where he faced a new set of opportunities and challenges.

Featuring compelling interviews, Cole’s own words, and previously unseen photographs, Ernest Cole: Lost and Found tells the story of an artist who dedicated his life to documenting the struggle for freedom and truth. It is a contender for this year’s documentary Oscar and has received acclaim from critics, with The Hollywood Reporter commenting “revisiting Cole’s oeuvre serves as a reminder of the power of acknowledging what lies before you.”

Ernest Cole: Lost and Found will be playing at TIFF Lightbox on December 6th and 11th.

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