An Oscar for My Octopus Teacher is a boost for South African film. But .
The Best Documentary Feature gong for
My Octopus Teacher at this year s Academy Awards has been seen by many critics as the type of underdog story Oscar loves. The film, directed by Pippa Erlich and James Reed, was - like the other South African-themed documentary to wow the Oscars,
Searching for Sugarman - the feel-good choice.
The story of a man and his relationship with an octopus in the cold, cold water off Cape Town’s peninsula triumphed over a number of heavy hitters. These included an exposé of hospital deaths caused by corruption in the Romanian government (
Ian-Malcolm Rijsdijk is a senior lecturer in the Centre for Film and Media Studies, and a member of the Environmental Humanities South research program at the University of Cape Town. He has published widely on the South African film, wildlife documentary and literary fiction. He is currently working on representations of Cape Town in film. In 2013, he received a Distinguished Teacher’s Award from the University of Cape Town, and in 2014 a National Excellence in Teaching award from the Higher Education Teaching and Learning Association of South Africa.
Experience
“That room was the very heart of UCT. Its loss is immeasurable.”
Ujala Satgoor, executive director of libraries at UCT, said she and others had watched, on site, “in horror and helplessness as this elegant and historical library” burnt.
As images emerged of its once-beautiful interior now lying in ashes, Satgoor said she could “only imagine the shock and horror” everyone felt. After the fire: the Jagger Reading Room. Image: Anthony Molyneaux
For Dr Ian-Malcolm Rijsdijk, a senior lecturer in film and television studies, the soot and rubble are what remain of the place that sparked his entire academic career.