Siya Kolisi’s documentary won crowds who chose his story for first place at an international story-telling festival in New York!
New York, USA (20 June, 2023) — The documentary unravelling rugby legend Siya Kolisi’s humble roots and path to stardom has earned international praise after winning the crowd at an International story-telling festival in New York City.
‘Rise: The Siya Kolisi Story’; a transparent and personal telling of Kolisi’s quest to South African legacy, won first place for the Audience Award: Documentary at the recent Tribeca Festival; an annual spring showcase celebrating story-telling in all its forms.
However, Kolisi’s documentary win isn’t only a testament to the incredible unpacking of the first black South African Springbok rugby captain. It’s also a testament to the power of South African stories, to not being determined by where you began, and to navigating a playing field that was far from even.
Directed by the award-winning Tebogo Malope, Rise: The Siya Kolisi Story is a proudly South African creation that encapsulates Kolisi’s truth, spotlighting the hardships that carved his determined spirit unashamedly.
An intimate unpacking, the documentary also looks at Kolisi’s personal relationships, including his complicated dynamic with his father and his journey of love with his wife, Rachel Kolisi.
A Snipped of ‘Rise: The Siya Kolisi Story’
𝙍𝙞𝙨𝙚: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙞𝙮𝙖 𝙆𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙞 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 coming soon to a screen near you! 🎬🎥
Excited for you all to see this. We’ve been working on it for a long time! pic.twitter.com/1U1ydPZikw
— Siya Kolisi (@SiyaKolisi) January 3, 2023
And, as much as the rags-to-cultural-riches documentary inspired, it also gave back in another way; channelling its proceeds back into the community so that the concept of rising could be more than a title.
If you haven’t already, the documentary is well worth the watch not just for sports fans but anyone who wants to be inspired.
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