Albie: A Strange Alchemy (F/F)

Dir. Sara Gouveia | South Africa | 90 min | 2025

Shaped by exile, loss and a brutal bomb attack, Albie Sachs stands as one of South Africa’s most revered anti-apartheid activists and visionary thinkers. Surviving imprisonment and a near-fatal assassination attempt by the apartheid regime, Albie helped draft a constitution that would guide a nation toward justice and healing, anchoring a new South Africa in dignity, equality and progress. As a constitutional court judge working in a building atop a former prison, surrounded by contemporary art, Sachs authored landmark rulings that echoed around the world. Now, turning 90, he reflects on the strange alchemy of idealism and realism that shaped both his life and a nation’s rebirth. Through lyrical imagery, intimate archival footage and sweeping reflections, the film traces a life where law meets art, struggle gives rise to beauty, and revolutions are born from ruins. Albie: A Strange Alchemy is a poetic journey through justice, resilience and the enduring power of hope.