The documentary, “Miners Shot Down” is directed by Rehad Desai and produced by Anita Khanna. It showcases the story of the August 2012 strike at Marikana, a town in the North West province of South Africa, which left 44 people dead and several others injured when police opened fire. The massacre started with the wildcat strike at a mine owned by the Lonmin. Importantly, the massacre was among the most lethal use of force by the South African security forces against civilians, which happened since the 1960's.
While welcoming the accolades, the filmmakers said that they are however more concerned about creating greater awareness of the tragedy on which the documentary is based. Desai, who himself comes from a family associated with the anti-apartheid struggle, said the movie’s aim “was to bring to the notice of the public not just the severity of the massacre, but also how broader social and economic injustices were occurring regularly in democratic South Africa”.
His production company, Uhuru Films, encourages the public and organisations to arrange special screenings and making donations to the survivors of the massacre.