Born in the bustling city of Boksburg in the year 1936, Jans Rautenbach is undoubtedly one of the most renowned and simultaneously most divisive filmmakers to have emerged from South Africa. His career in the film industry began with a stint at Jamie Uys Film Productions, where he made a brief appearance as a bar patron in the 1957 film "Kimberley Jim" directed by Emil Nofal.
When Emil Nofal and Jamie Uys parted ways, Nofal went on to establish his own production company, with Rautenbach joining him as a partner. This marked the beginning of what could be regarded as South Africa's golden age of cinema, as the duo released a string of critically acclaimed films, including "King Hendrik" in 1965, "Wild Season" in 1967, "Die Kandidaat" in 1968, and their most controversial and thought-provoking feature, "Katrina", in 1969.
"Katrina" remains a landmark film in South African cinema, offering a scathing critique of the country's unjust racial policies under Apartheid, and is notable for being praised by those who enforced these very same unjust laws, rather than being vilified.
