Self Portrait

                                                                                            The work of photographer  Roger Ballen.                                                   

A documentary about the controversial photographer Roger Ballen. Born and bred in New York, he came as a young man to live in South Africa. The film sketches his development as photographer. From the environs of Johannesburg, he portrays the poor whites, a class that remained hidden and was assumed not to exist. He has taken disturbing photos of individuals living on the fringe of society. Their faces are marked with fear, insanity, disappointment and helplessness. They are photos, that mercilessly reveal the personal tragedy of these people.

Ballen’s photographs are included in the collections of museums in NewYork, Paris, London, and Amsterdam. He is widely considered to be one of the most important photographers of our time.

Documentary, 51 mintues, video, 2002

Director, script, camera: Saskia Vredeveld, Executive producers: Michaela van Wassenaer & Saskia Vredeveld
A Springbok Film Production.