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Forest Whitaker in "Forgiven", a Roland Joffé film. Saje Distribution

After documenting the Khmer genocide in Cambodia in "The Rift," or the Jesuit crisis in South America in "Mission," British director Roland Joffé shines the spotlight on South Africa. His new film "Forgiven" ("forgiven"), released this Wednesday, January 9 on French screens, shows the face-to-face between a good man and a racist killer ... Either Desmond Tutu, the archbishop presiding the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 1995, and Piet Blomfield, an assassin sentenced to life imprisonment.

Pushing criminals, apartheid henchmen, to confess their abuses, and thus obtain the pardon of the families of victims, was the goal of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission wanted by Nelson Mandela who had entrusted the presidency to Archbishop Desmond Tutu in 1995.

If the prelate, now 87 years old, really exists, the criminal of the film is fictitious. Roland Joffé adapts a play to build this confrontation. The racist killer in search of redemption is played by Australian Eric Bana.

And it's a 57-year-old African-American actor who plays Desmond Tutu: Forest Whitaker. Some South African media regretted this choice. But Roland Joffe held it: " Forest is a kind of genius. The black community in America has kept the spirit of freedom. I saw that with Desmond Tutu. And I think that's why Forest has understood Tutu in a very profound way. "

A character who is almost tailor-made for Forest Whitaker who created an NGO and who since 2014 has been UNESCO's special envoy for peace and reconciliation.

► To listen: The director Roland Joffé is our Guest Culture of 9/1/2019

► Read also: South Africa is torn to the movies , rfi, 4/6/2013