| Izulu lami / My Secret Sky | |
| Director: | Madoda Ncayiyana |
| Producer: | DV8 Films Vuleka Productions |
| Starring: | Sobahle Mkhabase Sibonelo Malinga Tshepang Mohlomi Sanele Ndawo Sizwe Xaba Israel Makoe |
| Runtime: | 90 minutes |
| Country: | South Africa |
| Language: | Zulu |
| Screenplay: | Madoda Ncayiyana Julie Frederikse |
| Cinematography: | Mike Downie |
| Editing: | Kosta Kalarytis |
| Music: | Sazi Dlamini |
Izulu Lami, titled My Secret Sky in English, is a 2008 South African film made in the Zulu language. It was directed by Madoda Ncayiyana. It follows the story of two children who travel to the city of Durban and become street kids after their mother dies.
Ten-year-old Thembi and her eight-year-old brother, Khwezi, lose their mother. Their aunt is supposed to take care of them, but once she's sold the few things they have, she disappears. The children are left with nothing but a traditional Zulu mat made by their mother before she died.[1] Taking their destiny in her hands, Thembi convinces her brother that they should go to the big city of Durban. But once they arrive, they find themselves adrift in a terrifying metropolis.[2] The very essence of Thembi and Kwezi's bonds are threatened as the city becomes a monster that threatens to completely overwhelm and defeat them.
The film is based on an earlier short film, co-directed by Ncayiyana and Ouida Smit, made in 2001, The Sky in Her Eyes. This film won the Djibril Diop Mambety Prize for best African short film at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival.[3]
In December 2008, the film premiered at the Dubai International Film Festival, opening the inaugural Asia Africa section.[4]
The film was released internationally in 2009 under the title My Secret Sky.[5] [3]