Kevin Harris is a South African who has lived and worked as an independent filmmaker in South Africa for

the past thirty-one years.

 In November 2007, he was awarded the Golden Horn Film & TV Award for
Life-time Achievement  in Documentary Film-making
by the National Film & Video Foundation of South Africa.

Kevin Harris' independent career began in October 1979 when he was fired by the Apartheid controlled SABC TV regime for ensuring the uncensored broadcast of his documentary “BARA”, which went behind the scenes of an overcrowded Baragwanath Hospital and exposed

the oppressive social / environmental conditions under which the community of Soweto were

forced  to live in the township.

“BARA” was awarded the Star Tonight Best Documentary Award for 1979.

In 1982 he made his first independent documentary, 

“This We Can Do For Justice & For Peace” – which gave expression to the standpoint of 

the South African Council of Churches in opposing Apartheid in South Africa - 

through the concerned perspectives of General Secretary Bishop Desmond Tutu &

SACC President Peter Story.

Restricted in South Africa, but broadcast in the USA by NBC under the title,

“Land of Courage, Land of Fear” – the documentary was awarded two Emmy Awards.

In 1986, he conceived & produced the alternative series of documentary reports on South Africa during the "state of emergency" under the Apartheid regime, titled "South Africa Now".

Developed for weekly broadcast by Danny Schechter [ Globalvision] on PBS, 

“South Africa Now”, continued to expose the injustice 

and brutality of Apartheid and successfully challenged the content of sanitized 

mainstream USA network  coverage of the South African situation from 1987 to 1990.

Two international co-productions - “Witness to Apartheid”  [1986 - Sharon Sopher ] & 

The Cry of Reason” [1989 - Bob Bilheimer ] – both received USA 

Academy Award nominations.

In November 1987, Kevin Harris appeared as a specialist witness for the defence in the

so-named "Delmas" Treason Trial.

In 1988 he exposed the brutality of the South African Security Forces' military occupation 

of Namibia, with the documentary " Namibia - no easy road to freedom".

In 1990, the documentary "Namibia - Rebirth of a Nation"  examined the bitter-sweet legacy 

facing an Independent Namibia looking to rebuild a country ravaged by decades of war and military

occupation.

In 1992 Kevin Harris was awarded the Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Film in S.A.

Since democracy in 1994, Kevin Harris has to date produced & directed over thirty 

South African feature documentaries on a variety of current social & political issues.

International co-productions include:

“Unfinished Business” [ Adrian Herring / ABC Australia ] – investigation into the torture
and execution of exiles by ANC Military Tribunal at Quatro Camp;
[ Awarded a “Special Commendation” by the United Nations Media Peace Awards] ;

“ Judgement Day” – documentary feature on the current situation in Israel / Palestine taking

as a reference point the struggle for liberation in South Africa.

[ Best Documentary - Apollo Film Festival ].

In September 2004, Kevin Harris initiated the Documentary Director Mentorship Program

in association with the National Film & Video Foundation - to promote economic 

empowerment, sustainability and skills development in the South African film and 

television industry by mentoring young South African documentary producer / directors.

 

Kevin Harris’ most recent documentary productions include:

“Desmond & Leah Tutu – A Love Divine” – 2006

 - [ the 24 min documentary on the 50 yr relationship of Archbishop Desmond & Leah Tutu as husband & wife ]

“In the Dock” – 48 min - 2007

- [ an introspective autobiographical journey by local South African anti-Apartheid film-maker Kevin Harris – looking back at his life-experience and the circumstances that put him on the long road to The Delmas Treason Trial ]

“In the Shadows of  Beau Bassin” – 48 min - 2007 

- [ the little known saga of 1581 Jewish refugees deported to Mauritius in 1940 and detained at 

Beau Bassin Prison for some four and a half years during World War II ]

“Zimbabwe – past the post …. on a dark horse” – 2009 

Episodes 1 & 2

- [an intimate and engaging documentary on contemporary Zimbabwe - viewed through the window provided by the Zimbabwe horse-racing fraternity and their celebration of the  Golden Jubilee
held at Borrowdale Race Course in June 2009]

 “From the  Edge" - 2009 / 2010 - a documentary-director mentorship project : 
Kevin Harris is currently mentoring ten first-time documentary directors with the twelve-part documentary series, “From the Edge” – supported by the NFVF – and commissioned by  SABC2 
to be broadcast in 2010.