The Swenkas
North American Premiere

The Swenkas

| Denmark, South Africa | 72 MINUTES | Zulu, English
In the '80s, Madonna appropriated "voguing" from the gay clubs and demi-monde of underground New York and turned it into a pop culture fad. Soon, fashionable teenage kids in the 'burbs and the sticks were posing like supermodels and voguing to the beat with all the that's-little-me-in-the-spotlight verve of a Meatpacking District drag queen. Maybe the same thing will happen with "swanking." After all, it shares with voguing an interest in style, fashion, posing, and just plain looking good in front of an appreciative audience. Only unlike the voguers of yore, the swankers of today, who call themselves the Swenkas and are the subject of this fascinating documentary of the same name, are working class guys, who, as the saying goes, just happen to be straight. And oh yes, they're Zulus, who spend the work week in the big cities of South Africa, toiling, one suspects, as much to bankroll their designer-suit-with-all-the-accouterments habits as to support their adoring families and relatives, who still live in isolated little villages in the bush. The Swenkas are obviously living for the weekend, when they have the time to shoot their cuffs, show off their shoes and socks, and pass on Swenka traditions to the younger generation. The documentary is framed by narration from a fictional storyteller, a wizened old man who tells the Swenkas' story, and in particular the story of one young man who must decide whether or not to carry on his recently deceased father's Swenka tradition.

Cast & Credits
Directed by
Jeppe Rønde
Jeppe RØnde has directed the documentaries Dancing in The Midst of War, Children of Grief and Søn/Son, which were all co-produced or bought by Danmarks Radio/the Danish Broadcasting Corporation. He made his feature film debut in 2003 with Jerusalem, My Love/Jerusalem, min elskede, which has won several prizes, including the Audience Award at Nordisk Panorama 2004, and The Talent Dove at the International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film. In addition to directing and often shooting his documentaries, he is also a professional musician, and has composed the music for his films. Rønde has a B.A. degree in film science and art history from The University of Copenhagen.
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