A local film born in Kharkams, starring a Northern Cape granny who made her acting debut at 80, is officially heading into the Oscars race as South Africa’s selection!
Northern Cape, South Africa (07 October 2026) – An award-winning South African film born in the mountains of the Northern Cape has travelled from Kharkams to Rotterdam, Joburg, Hong Kong and New York this year. The next stop in its journey is major!
Variations on a Theme has officially been selected to represent South Africa at the 99th Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category.
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), which is responsible for submitting South Africa’s film to the Academy each year, announced the news following a selection process involving a 13-member committee of professionals from across the local film industry.
Written and directed by Jason Jacobs and Devon Delmar, the 65-minute, 100% Afrikaans drama is set in Kharkams in Namaqualand and follows an elderly goat herder who falls victim to a scam promising long-overdue reparations for her father’s service during World War II.
She waits for money that will never arrive while facing another loss much closer to home – her family wants to move her to the city, taking her away from the life and independence she has known.
The story is fictional, but it draws from real histories and experiences within the community. A community that is quite literally a part of the film.
The cast was drawn from Kharkams, with the lead role played by Jacobs’ own grandmother, Hettie Farmer. Ouma Hettie was 80 when she made her film debut, bringing the character at the centre of the story to life.
This latest honour follows an already remarkable international run.
Variations on a Theme had its world premiere in the Tiger Competition at the International Film Festival Rotterdam earlier this year, where it won the prestigious Tiger Award. It later took Best African Film at the Joburg Film Festival, Best Film at Zagreb Subversive and Best Feature Narrative at Philadelphia’s BlackStar Film Festival, among other honours and special mentions.
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Now it’s entering Oscars territory.
Being chosen as South Africa’s submission does not mean the film has received an Oscar nomination just yet. Each country may submit one film for consideration in the International Feature Film category. Academy voting will eventually narrow the eligible films down to a shortlist of 15, before five are selected as official nominees.
The shortlist will be announced on 15 December 2026, with nominations following on 21 January 2027. The 99th Academy Awards will take place on 14 March 2027.
The people of Kharkams gathered for their own red-carpet screenings to celebrate a film made with and among their community just months ago. Now that same film has been chosen to carry South Africa’s name into one of the biggest film awards in the world. Ouma Hettie and the people of Kharkams are heading into the Oscar conversation!
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