United States / Nov 05, 1987 / Los Angeles, California
The true story of the friendship that shook South Africa and awakened the world.
2h 37min
Overall average
5.0/10
Trailer
Videos
Plot
A dramatic story, based on actual events, about the friendship between two men struggling against apartheid in South Africa in the 1970s. Donald Woods is a white liberal journalist in South Africa who begins to follow the activities of Stephen Biko, a courageous and outspoken black anti-apartheid activist.
Main cast
Full cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Kevin McNally | Ken |
| John Hargreaves | Bruce |
| Juanita Waterman | Ntsiki Biko |
| Julian Glover | Don Card |
| Josette Simon | Dr Ramphele |
| Timothy West | Capt. De Wet |
| Miles Anderson | Lemick |
| Ian Richardson | State Prosecutor |
| Andrew McCulloch | Policeman Nel |
| Gerald Sim | Police Doctor |
| Gary Whelan | Guard |
| Glen Murphy | Guard |
| Peter Cartwright | Police Sergeant |
| Badi Uzzaman | Mortician |
| Gwyneth Powell | Girl at Funeral |
| Philip Bretherton | Major Boshoff |
| Alec McCowen | Acting High Comissioner |
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| Joseph Marcell | Moses |
| Judy Cornwell | Receptionist |
| John Paul | Wendy's Father |
| Gwen Watford | Wendy's Mother |
| William Marlowe | Police Sergeant |
| Paul Jerricho | Sergeant Louw |
| Nick Tate | Pilot |
| Andrew Whaley | Sub-Editor |
| Shelley Borkum | Woods' Receptionist |
| Albert Ndinda | Alec |
| Evelyn Sithole | Nurse at Clinic |
| Xoliswa Sithole | Nurse at Clinic |
| James Coine | Young Boy |
| Wabei Siyolwe | Tenjy |
| Tony Vogel | 2nd Roadblock Policeman |
| Michael Graham Cox | 3rd Passport Control Officer |
| Hepburn Graham | Soga |
| Graeme Taylor | Dillon Woods |
| Sophie Mgcina | Evalina |
| Jim Findley | Peter Jones |
| Garrick Hagon | McElrea |
| Adam Stuart Walker | Duncan Woods |
| Hamish Stuart Walker | Gavin Woods |
| Spring Stuart Walker | Meg Woods |
| Patricia Gumede | Shebeen Queen |
| Angela Gavaza | Shebeen Queen's Niece |
| Nocebo Mlambo | Aunt |
| Walter Matemavi | Nephew |
| Clement Muchachi | Father |
| Ruth Chinamando | Mother |
| Basil Chidyamathamba | Brother-in-Law |
| Marcy Mushore | Niece |
| Alton Kumalo | Speaker |
| Lawrence Simbarashe | Informer |
| Carl Chase | Policeman |
| William Morgan Sheppard | Policeman (as Morgan Sheppard) |
| Tichatonga Mazhindu | Dilima |
| Neil McPherson | Lemick's Assistant |
| Claude Maredza | 1st Rugby Player |
| Carlton Chance | 2nd Rugby Player |
| Russell Keith Grant | 2nd Security Guard |
| Munyaradzi Kanaventi | Samora Biko |
| George Lovell | Nkosinathi Biko |
| Graham Fletcher-Cook | Nel's Partner |
| Karen Drury | Young Secretary |
| Niven Boyd | 1st Roadblock Policeman |
| Christopher Hurst | 3rd Roadblock Policeman |
| Dudley Dickin | Nationalist Party Delegate |
| David Trevena | Mortician |
| Robert Phillips | Speaker at Funeral |
| Fishoo Tembo | Biko's Brother |
| Peggy Marsh | Helen Suzman |
| Gwyneth Strong | Girl at Funeral |
| Paul Herzberg | Beukes |
| Robert MacNamara | Security Policeman |
| Hans Sittig | Security Policeman |
| Kimpton Mativenga | Black Security Policeman |
| David Henry | Afrikaner Farmer |
| Michael Turner | Judge Boshoff |
| Mawa Makondo | Jason |
| Kalie Hanekom | Magistrate Prins |
| Star Ncube | 1st Prisoner |
| David Guwaza | 2nd Prisoner |
| Tommy Buson | Tami |
| Hilary Minster | 1st Passport Control Officer |
| James Aubrey | 2nd Passport Control Officer |
| Peter Cary | White Frontier Policeman |
| Dominic Kanaventi | Black Frontier Policeman |
| Sam Mathambo | Lesotho Passport Officer |
| Walter Muparutsa | Lesotho Businessman |
| Louis Mahoney | Lesotho Goverment Official |
| John Hartley | 4th Passport Control Officer |
| Simon Shumba | Young Lesotho Official |
| Marilyn Poole | Acting High Commissioner's Wife |
Genres
Drama
Technical details
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Original title | Cry Freedom |
| Original language | English (EN) |
| Spoken languages | English |
| Production countries | United Kingdom, Zimbabwe |
| Status | Released |
| Production companies | Universal Pictures, Marble Arch Productions |
| Official site | uphe.com |
| Release date | 6 novembre 1987 |
| Executive producer | Terence A. Clegg |
| Production | Richard Attenborough, John Briley, Norman Spencer |
| Writer | John Briley, Donald Woods |
| Casting | Susie Figgis |
| Editing | Lesley Walker |
| Cinematography | Ronnie Taylor |
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Release dates
Premiere
United Kingdom / Nov 15, 1987 / London Film Festival
Germany / Feb 15, 1988 / Berlin International Film Festival
Theatrical release
United States / Nov 06, 1987 / PG
United Kingdom / Nov 26, 1987
Australia / Feb 18, 1988
Ireland / Feb 19, 1988 / PG
Show more (17)Show less
Germany / Feb 25, 1988 / 12 / West Germany
Italy / Feb 26, 1988
Japan / Feb 27, 1988
Portugal / Mar 04, 1988
Netherlands / Mar 10, 1988 / 12
Spain / Mar 11, 1988
Sweden / Mar 11, 1988 / 15
Denmark / Mar 18, 1988
Finland / Mar 18, 1988
France / Mar 23, 1988
Switzerland / Mar 25, 1988 / 12
Uruguay / Apr 09, 1988
Argentina / Apr 14, 1988
Hungary / Dec 02, 1989 / 6
Philippines / Feb 06, 1990
South Africa / Apr 27, 1990
Türkiye / Dec 07, 1990
Physical media
Netherlands / Sep 01, 2008 / 12 / DVD
Brazil / May 31, 2020 / DVD
TV
Netherlands / Oct 27, 2002 / 12 / Net 5
Portugal / Mar 27, 2020 / RTP 1
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