re:collection

Original Title: re:collection

Runtime: 90'

Expected Release: March 2028

Production Stage: Production

1st Feature: No

Looking for: Funds, co-producers, broadcasters, distributors, sales agents

Synopsis:

The ǂKhomani San seek to rebury their ancestors, whose remains are held in South Africa’s national museum. Exhumed for race science at the turn of the twentieth century, these bodies were used to legitimise systems such as apartheid and Nazism, and to justify violence on a global scale. The film follows a contemporary struggle to confront historical injustice, as the ideologies that once shaped these crimes begin to resurface.

Director’s Profile:

Dane Dodds is a multi-award-winning filmmaker from the Karoo, South Africa. His work explores the intersections of science, spirit, land, and the enduring legacy of colonialism. His films are rooted in long-term relationships and a commitment to ethical storytelling, often engaging directly with communities affected by historical injustice.
He is the founder and director of MED CINE, a Danish–South African production company. His debut feature documentary, !AITSA (Best Documentary Feature, SAFTA Awards 2024), premiered at CPH:DOX and has screened internationally at festivals including Encounters South African International Documentary Festival, Big Sky Documentary Film Festival and Planet in Focus Film Festival, where it has received multiple awards.

Producer’s Profile:

Antoinette Engel is a producer of documentary films and immersive storytelling projects, committed to the collaborative spirit that underpins all creative projects. Her work has screened at IDFA, Dok.Fest Munich, Encounters South African International Documentary Festival, Filmfest FrauenWelten,NY ADIFF and on Al Jazeera. She has executive produced VR experiences which have premiered at IDFA, SXSW, Sheffield DocFest and Sunnyside of the Doc and worked with partners Meta, the British Council, UNESCO, Atlantic Institute and South Africa’s National Film and Video Foundation. She is a Durban FilmMart Talent Campus, IFFR Cinemart Producer’s Lab and RLNS DET alumni, has co-chaired the Documentary Filmmakers’ Association of South Africa and has served as jury member for the Durban International Film Festival (2024), Fak’ugesi Digital Lab Africa (2023) and goEast XR (2022). She is producing a slate of independent projects and has been selected for the EAVE Producers Workshop 2026.

Associate Producer’s Profile:

Brain Miennies (San/Boesman/Saa!) is an Indigenous leader and conservation practitioner based in the Southern Kalahari, South Africa. He is the Managing Director of Kalahari Earth Keepers International (KEKI) and Deputy Secretary-General of CASANR.
His work bridges Indigenous Traditional Knowledge with contemporary legal and conservation frameworks, supporting land restitution, ecosystem restoration, and sustainable livelihoods for the ǂKhomani San and Mier communities. He is involved in large-scale environmental stewardship across the Kalahari and engages international frameworks, including UNESCO World Heritage protections.
A leading voice in the repatriation of ancestral remains, he brings a deeply rooted cultural and spiritual perspective to re:collection, where he serves as associate producer.