The widely anticipated trailer for Jennifer Hudson‘s portrayal of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela in Winnie has been released. Winnie is a drama film adaptation of Anne Marie du Preez Bezrob’s biography Winnie Mandela: A Life. The film is directed by Darrell Roodt, and stars Jennifer Hudson, Terrence Howard, Wendy Crewson, and Elias Koteas. Watch the promo trailer below.
Plot
Following the life of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela (Jennifer Hudson) through her then-husband Nelson Mandela‘s (Terrence Howard) imprisonment, continuous harassment by the security police, banishment to a small Free State town, betrayal by friends and allies, and more than a year in solitary confinement.
Though married to Nelson when he became president of South Africa in 1994, she was never First Lady because they had separated two years earlier when it was revealed she had been unfaithful.
Later, she made headlines when she was convicted of the kidnapping of 14-year-old activist James “Stompie” Moeketsi, as well as being an accessory to assault (the boy was found murdered). Despite this and her endorsement of violent practices such as burning people alive, Winnie, who is a qualified social worker, is popular among her supporters, who refer to her as the “Mother of the Nation”.
The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, 2011, but due to a lackluster response, has not been released (as of May, 2012) in any theaters worldwide nor has been released to DVD.
What are your thoughts on the ‘Winnie’ promo trailer?
Jennifer Hudson appears to have done this movie justice.