Firmly located in local reality, and with a careful eye for detail, ELDORADO chronicles the journey taken by four friends in the poverty-stricken township of Eldorado Park in Gauteng. The film portrays their joys, pains, friendships and confl icts as they come to grips with the harsh realities of growing up in the troubled area and the difficulties of moving on from a past that remains too much like the present. Taking a deeply intimate approach to fi lm production, ELDORADO was made and produced almost entirely by the residents of the area, who also star in the fi lm. This alternative approach to filmmaking seamlessly combines fiction, reality and documentary into a gripping narrative that offers an accessible and very real alternative to the mass-produced American entertainment which still dominates South African cultural life.
A celebration of the freedom and possibilities offered by digital filmmaking, this is an engaging and uniquely South African piece of cutting-edge cinema.

South Africa 2011, Afrikaans with English subtitles, HDCAM, 65 min
Directors: Shaldon Ferris, Lorreal Ferris
Screenplay: Shaldon Ferris
Cinematographer: Kurt Orderson
Cast: Lyalle Hendricks, Bradly Carelse, Jade Smith, Nicole Hendricks
Print Source: Jeremy Nathan, DV8 Films

2011 - 32nd DIFF - Durban International Film Festival
* Selection
* Special Mention South African Feature Film: "This year there was a remarkable selection of South African films which represented a great diversity of content and genre. Among these great films we'd like to give a special mention to Eldorado, from first-time filmmakers Shaldon Ferris and Lorreal Ferris." (The jury)
* World Premiere.
Filmmaker in attendance