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'In My Country': The Effort to Heal Apartheid's Wounds

Over some 40 years of filmmaking, British director John Boorman has become adept at portraying secret criminal worlds and terrifying circumstances. His films include Deliverance and Hope and Glory, both nominated for Oscars; The Tailor of Panama and now, In My Country.

In My Country stars Samuel L. Jackson and Juliette Binoche as journalists in the mid-1990s who are covering South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which was set up to address the legacy of apartheid.

As wrenching testimony unfolds about the human rights abuses committed during the period of enforced racial segregation in South Africa between 1960 and 1994, the film explores questions of healing and forgiveness. Boorman talks with host Jacki Lyden about making the film, and about other aspects of his storied career.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Longtime listeners recognize Jacki Lyden's voice from her frequent work as a substitute host on NPR. As a journalist who has been with NPR since 1979, Lyden regards herself first and foremost as a storyteller and looks for the distinctive human voice in a huge range of national and international stories.