RAOUL PECK | USA, FRANCE | 2024 | 106 MIN | ENGLISH
Ernest Cole: Lost and Found chronicles the life and work of South African photographer Ernest Cole, who bravely documented the brutal realities of apartheid. His seminal photobook House of Bondage offers an unflinching look at the daily humiliations faced by Black South Africans. Forced to smuggle his work out of the country to publish it, Cole introduced the international community to the harsh truths of apartheid and cemented his place as a pioneering documentary photographer. Yet, in exile, he struggled to find stability in the United States and Europe as a photojournalist, eventually finding purpose in documenting the Black American experience in the 1960s before his untimely death. Many of his images were believed to be lost, but the recent discovery of thousands of unpublished negatives has reignited interest in his powerful legacy. Beautifully narrated by LaKeith Stanfield, this documentary from Oscar nominee Raoul Peck (PFF25’s I Am Not Your Negro, PFF32’s Silver Dollar Road) explores Cole's extraordinary journey, allowing his story to unfold through his haunting photographs, archival interviews, and personal writings. It’s a poignant tribute to a photographer who used his lens to challenge injustice and shed light on the Black experience.
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