Best of 2019: Jozi Gold

This January, The Bioscope brings you the 'Best of 2019'; a series of screenings celebrating last year's very best films.

Jozi Gold

Dir. Sylvia Vollenhoven & Fredrik Gertten | 74min 

A human catastrophe, a toxic city, an unlikely activist. 

The story about the gold mining industry in Johannesburg and the radioactive waste left behind.

The mines of Johannesburg have produced a third of all the gold mined in human history. But now the gold is running out, the mines are falling apart and the city must confront an environmental nightmare. Tons of radioactive waste pollute the air and turn water into poison every day.

Enter the glamorous Mariette Liefferink. A grandmother who totters across a dystopian wasteland in perfectly manicured nails, impossibly high heels and a Chinese cheongsam dress. Mariette is on a relentless mission to uncover the truth and force the gold industry to clean up its dangerous mess.

She reaches out across South Africa’s sharp social divides to poor shantytown dwellers and Afrikaner farmersalike. Governments, NGOs and international scientists all call on her for help.