Directed by South African artist Pola Maneli, with music supervision by Grammy winner Black Coffee, APART is inspired by the true story of two of its writers and a childhood friendship that crossed the racial divisions of apartheid.
Against the brutal realities of South African apartheid, two boys form a friendship in a world designed to keep them apart in the powerful animated short APART.
Inspired by the true story of two of its writers’ childhood friendship during apartheid, APART transforms their real-life bond, built around a shared love of football, into the story of Themba and Joel. As hatred and fear threaten to pull the boys apart, their friendship faces its greatest challenge in the form of a life-saving gesture. Through their eyes, audiences glimpse a moment of innocence where hope, empathy and understanding still feel possible.
Written by Spike Lee, Tim Jones, Jeff Leisawitz and Lubabalo Mtati, and directed by internationally acclaimed South African artist Pola Maneli, the 17-minute animated short brings together leading South African and international creative talent. Grammy-winning South African musician Black Coffee serves as music supervisor, while celebrated South African fashion designer Laduma Ngxokolo created the distinctive isiXhosa style for the characters’ wardrobe.
The scale of the artistry behind APART is equally remarkable: 600 days. 266 artists. 18,000 frames. No AI. The film combines traditional 2D frame-to-frame, cut-out, 3D and 2.5D animation to create its richly layered visual world, with the entire production created by human artists and no AI used in its creation.
The film’s visual language draws from Maneli’s distinctive artistic style and incorporates woodcut-inspired techniques that pay homage to art forms used to communicate anti-apartheid messages, bypass censorship and document the struggles of Black South Africans. Maneli’s artwork has appeared on the cover of The New Yorker and is held in the collection of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
While rooted in South African history, APART explores a universal question: what happens when the instinctive friendship of two children collides with a society determined to keep them divided? The title itself speaks both to apartheid and to the forces attempting to pull Themba and Joel apart.
Produced by Social Popcorn Films and 40 Acres and a Mule, in association with Taking Over NY, APART premiered at the 2026 Tribeca Festival and has also been selected for the Provincetown Film Festival, SIGGRAPH and deadCenter Film Festival.
For more information, visit APARTANIMATEDSHORT.com and follow @apartanimatedshort on Instagram.