The South African Xhosa film uCarmen eKhayelitsha became the second South African movie to compete and first to win the Golden Bear award as the best film at the 55th Berlin Film Festival in Germany. The film was shot in the Cape Town Township of Khayelitsha. The musical, sung entirely in Xhosa, is about an HIV-positive rural woman and has already won two awards, the Human Rights Award at the Venice Film Festival in 2004 and the Best Film award at Pune, India. The lead actress, singer Pauline Malefane, accepted the award in Xhosa before bursting into song at request of the film's director, Dornford-May.
18 February 2005
A Xhosa film wins Golden Bear award

- Updated
- 30 Sep 2019

How we know this
- 01IOL News,"Xhosa film wins prestigious Golden Bear award",From: IOL News,[Online],Available at:www.iol.co.za,[Accessed on:31 January 2014]
- 02Afrol News,"South African film wins Golden Bear",From: Afrol News,[Online],Available at:www.afrol.co.za,[Accessed on:31 January 2014]
Last updated · 30 Sep 2019
South African History Online. (2011, March 16). A Xhosa film wins Golden Bear award. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0013644
South African History Online (2011) 'A Xhosa film wins Golden Bear award', South African History Online, 16 March. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0013644 (Accessed: 15 October 2026).
South African History Online, A Xhosa film wins Golden Bear award [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0013644, (accessed 15 October 2026).
"A Xhosa film wins Golden Bear award." South African History Online, 16 Mar. 2011, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0013644. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.
South African History Online. "A Xhosa film wins Golden Bear award." South African History Online. March 16, 2011. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0013644.
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