306:, where her brother Leon is also studying, but parents of other students and teachers complain that she does not belong there. She is examined by State officials, reclassified as coloured, and expelled from the school following a severe beating by one of the teachers. Sandra's parents are shocked, but Abraham fights through the courts to have the classification reversed. The story becomes an international scandal and media pressure forces the law to change so that Sandra is classified as officially white.
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her mother make attempts to communicate but are consistently thwarted by Sandra's father. Late in his life, when he is too sick to act on his own, he reconsiders and asks his wife to take him to visit Sandra. Sandra's mother, angry that his new-found guilt had surfaced only after he had for 10 years stubbornly ignored her own emotional torment and longing for a reunion, refuses his request and says that neither of them deserves Sandra's forgiveness.
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Now Sandra must live her life as a coloured woman in South Africa for the first time, restricted to housing with no running water and no sanitation, and struggling on little income. Although she feels more at home in this community, she desperately misses her parents and yearns for a reunion. She and
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At age 17, Sandra realizes she is never going to be accepted by the white community. She falls in love with Petrus, a young black man and the local vegetable seller, and begins an illicit love affair. After
Abraham threatens to shoot Petrus and disown Sandra, Sannie is torn between her husband's rage
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Eventually, Sandra's marriage to Petrus deteriorates and he becomes physically abusive. She leaves him, taking their two children with her. Sandra looks for her parents but finds they had since moved from her childhood home. Not knowing where they are, Sandra continues with her life, raising her
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government comes to an end, there is renewed interest in her story by the media. Sandra's mother sees Sandra interviewed on television and writes to her to tell her of her father's death two years earlier. The letter provides no return address nor any other clue as to Sannie's whereabouts, but
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but
Abraham alerts the police and has them arrested and put in prison for the illegal border crossing. Sandra is released by the local magistrate to return home with her parents, but she decides to return to Petrus, as she is pregnant with his child. Her father disowns her.
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receiving it prompts Sandra to renew her search. Eventually, she finds her mother living in a nursing home and the two are happily reunited.
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An epilogue tells that Sandra's mother died in 2001, and her two brothers continue to refuse to see her or her family.
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In 1965, 10-year-old Sandra Laing lives with her parents, Abraham and Sannie, who are white
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and, despite Sandra's mixed-race appearance, have lovingly brought her up as their own.
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MAE Moseac Award for Best
Independent Film, MAE Moseac Award for Best Actress (
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on 7 September 2008, and was released in the United
Kingdom on 24 July 2009.
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Bordeaux Cinema
Science Film Festival (Grand Jury Prize, Best Film),
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666:"Skin movie review & film summary (2009) | Roger Ebert"
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Sandra is sent to a boarding school in the neighbouring town of
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Accolade Award For
Excellence (Original Score Hélène Muddiman),
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When She Was White: The True Story of a Family
Divided by Race
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and her daughter's predicament. Sandra elopes with Petrus to
620:"Interview with Sandra Laing- Real Life Subject of Skin"
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has won 19 international festival awards, including:
602:"White to Colored and Back Again in Apartheid's Maze"
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Mediterrante Film
Festival (Bari), Italy (Best Film),
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648:"Movie shows apartheid's cruelty and contradictions"
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634:"Skin and Jesus and the Giant to screen at Toronto"
498:Time For Peace Award (Voted by 21 UN Ambassadors),
559:2010 (Outstanding Foreign Film and Best Actress,
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469:Rochester High Falls International Film Festival
474:Tri-Continental, South Africa (Audience Award),
295:. They are shopkeepers in a remote area of the
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423:gave the film four stars. Peter Bradshaw of
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868:English-language biographical drama films
443:Santa Barbara International Film Festival
269:era, presumably due to a genetic case of
427:gave the film three out of five stars.
838:South African biographical drama films
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599:
463:Palm Beach International Film Festival
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487:Moondance International Film Festival
858:English-language South African films
489:, USA (Best Score, Hélène Muddiman),
600:Dargis, Manohla (29 October 2009).
576:Political Film Society, (Best Film)
530:Bahamas International Film Festival
519:Ability Media International Awards,
281:Toronto International Film Festival
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457:Dallas International Film Festival
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249:by Judith Stone, and the life of
823:British biographical drama films
261:parents, who was classified as "
547:British Independent Film Awards
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279:had its world premiere at the
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818:2008 biographical drama films
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582:(Best Score), Hélène Muddiman
853:2000s English-language films
507:Griffon Environmental Award,
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504:Humanitarian Award (Italy),
452:(Audience and Jury Awards),
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843:Films shot in South Africa
245:. It is based on the book
165:7 September 2008
833:Films set in South Africa
790:Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris
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450:Pan African Film Festival
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465:(Jury Award, Best Film),
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180:24 July 2009
532:, Rising Star Award,
511:Giffoni Film Festival
502:Amnesty International
355:as young Sandra Laing
323:children by herself.
188: (United Kingdom)
654:. 12 September 2008.
549:2009, Best Actress (
863:2000s British films
680:"Film review: Skin"
580:Ivor Novello Awards
326:When the country's
760:Films directed by
606:The New York Times
557:NAACP Image Awards
516:Orange Film Prize,
379:Terri Ann Eckstein
239:biographical drama
125:Jonathan Partridge
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782:Louder Than Words
567:Black Reel Awards
471:(Audience Award),
459:(Audience Award),
445:(Audience Award),
297:Eastern Transvaal
241:film directed by
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86:Margaret Matheson
83:Genevieve Hofmeyr
35:Theatrical poster
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848:2008 drama films
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409:Lauren Das Neves
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152:(United Kingdom)
133:St. John O'Rorke
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688:. 23 July 2009.
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375:as Petrus Zwane
369:as Sannie Laing
353:Ella Ramangwane
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197:Running time
66:Helena Kriel
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541:Nominations
421:Roger Ebert
403:Onida Cowan
367:Alice Krige
304:Piet Retief
201:107 minutes
111:Alice Krige
74:Produced by
63:Jessie Keyt
41:Directed by
813:2008 films
807:Categories
587:References
293:Afrikaners
237:is a 2008
184:2009-07-24
169:2008-09-07
51:Written by
18:2008 film
416:Reception
361:Sam Neill
328:apartheid
312:Swaziland
267:apartheid
206:Countries
150:BBC Films
130:Edited by
106:Sam Neill
513:, Italy,
411:as Elize
263:Coloured
223:Language
138:Music by
94:Starring
652:Reuters
271:atavism
226:English
182: (
167: (
793:(2022)
785:(2013)
777:(2008)
569:2010 (
431:Awards
173: (
259:white
774:Skin
715:Skin
709:IMDb
704:Skin
455:AFI
436:Skin
338:Cast
287:Plot
277:Skin
253:, a
234:Skin
175:TIFF
24:Skin
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
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