Significant Dates and Years in South African Film
April 19th, 1895 – The Kinetescope
The first Kinetescopes in South Africa were made open to the public. Kinetescopes were boxes invented by Thomas Edison designed to allow individuals to view short films. They were the basis for cinematic projects in the future and South Africa was one of the first counties to make them publicly available.
South African History Online, A History of the South African Film Industry, (21 March 2011)
October 14th 1899 – Recording War
The South African war was the first war where film was used as a medium for propaganda. At the very beginning of the war, William Kennedy Dickson went to South Africa to record the war on film. WKL Dickson was the man to perfect the motion picture camera and had worked closely with Thomas Edison to do so. In fact, WKL Dickson published a book titled The Biograph in Battle: its story in the South African War was all about his personal experience in the war and what it was like to document it.
The Encyclopedia of South African Theatre, Film, Media and Performance, William Dickson, (July 10th 2017)
December 11th 1911 – The Great Kimberley Diamond Robbery
The first full length feature drama from South Africa was released. It was called “The Great Kimberley Diamond Robbery” and it was about Khoi workers who find a diamond in the banks of the Vaal River. They sell it to Dick Grangeway, who decides to transport it to Cape Town. On his was transporting it, two diamond thefts hear about its transport and attempt to steal it. In the end they both fail and are apprehended by the police. This was a breakthrough film for South Africa.
The Encyclopedia of South African Theatre, The Great Kimberley Diamond Robbery, (June 23rd 2016)
1915 – African Film Productions Ltd & De Voortrekkers
The first African film production company was created, and their first film was De Voortrekkers which you can learn more about here
The World of South African Film 