Ernest Cole: Lost and Found

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1:52

Ernest Cole: Lost and Found

Released Nov 22, 2024

1h 46m

Documentary

Biography

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96%

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26 Reviews

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Fewer than 50 Ratings

Ernest Cole, a South African photographer was the first to expose the horrors of apartheid to a world audience. His book House of Bondage, published in 1967 when he was only 27 years old, led him into exile in NYC and Europe for the rest of his life, never to find his bearings. Raoul Peck recounts his wanderings, his turmoil as an artist and his anger, on a daily basis, at the silence or complicity of the Western world in the face of the horrors of the Apartheid regime. He also recounts how, in 2017, 60,000 negatives of his work were discovered in the safe of a Swedish bank.

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Peter Rainer

FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)

I wasn't that acquainted with Cole's work. It's quite extraordinary and on full display in this film.

Jan 17, 2025

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Tim Cogshell

FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)

Tonally correct in every possible way.

Jan 17, 2025

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Monica Castillo

RogerEbert.com

Peck spends so much time unpacking Cole's inner life from his diaries and notebooks, because while the photos may live on in archives, those are the stories most at risk of disappearing from the frame.

Rated: 3/4

Nov 22, 2024

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Michael J. Casey

Metro Arts

Fascinating photography, even if the documentary isn't.

Rated: 3/5

Jan 17, 2025

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Stephen A. Russell

Orion's Shoulder (Substack)

[Raoul Peck's] soaring thank you to the far-sighted young man who risked life and limb to document the horrors of Apartheid in South Africa is electric, with LaKeith Stanfield an excellent narrator.

Dec 31, 2024

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Carla Hay

Culture Mix

Ernest Cole: Lost and Found is a meaningful tribute to South African photographer Ernest Cole. However, it would’ve been a better documentary if it investigated how 60,000 negatives of Cole’s photos were secretly hidden in a Swiss bank for decades.

Dec 8, 2024

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Raoul Peck

Director

LaKeith Stanfield

Ernest Cole

Raoul Peck

Writer

Raoul Peck

Producer

Tamara Rosenberg

Producer

Laurence Lascary

Line Producer

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10 Must-Watch Documentaries of 2024

Ernest Cole: Lost and Found: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Ernest Cole, a South African photographer was the first to expose the horrors of apartheid to a world audience. His book House of Bondage, published in 1967 when he was only 27 years old, led him into exile in NYC and Europe for the rest of his life, never to find his bearings. Raoul Peck recounts his wanderings, his turmoil as an artist and his anger, on a daily basis, at the silence or complicity of the Western world in the face of the horrors of the Apartheid regime. He also recounts how, in 2017, 60,000 negatives of his work were discovered in the safe of a Swedish bank.

Director: Raoul Peck
Producer: Raoul Peck, Tamara Rosenberg
Screenwriter: Raoul Peck, Raoul Peck
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Production Co: Arte France Cinéma
Genre: Documentary, Biography
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 22, 2024, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 17, 2025
Box Office (Gross USA): $37.3K
Runtime: 1h 46m

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