The Other Man: F.W. de Klerk and the End of Apartheid (2015)

Synopsis

It could have been a bloodbath of historic proportions. But instead, one man made the end of apartheid possible: in February 1990, President F.W. de Klerk lifted the ban on the African National Congress and ordered the release of Nelson Mandela. As the world celebrated, Mandela would go on to become South Africa's first democratically elected president-- with de Klerk as his Vice President. Many films have been made about Nelson Mandela and the history of apartheid; few have taken on the challenge of bringing his predecessor–F.W. de Klerk to the screen, keeping him in the shadow of his exploits. But de Klerk's history is complicated. Before becoming president, he headed several ministries during the policy of "Total Onslaught, Total Strategy" against African National Congress activists. De Klerk had been a virulent defender of white Africans and their privileges, and his own term as president was marred by political violence--often at the hands of his own security forces. What pushed this man to reverse his beliefs and jumpstart the process of making South Africa a more equal and just nation?

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