Cry Freedom

Cry Freedom is a drama set in South Africa during the 1970s, built around the relationship between Donald Woods, a white newspaper editor, and Steve Biko, a black activist who leads the Black Consciousness movement. Woods first approaches Biko as a subject to report on, but the courage and conviction he encounters change his view. He comes to oppose the apartheid system himself, which puts him and his family in direct conflict with the authorities. Biko is arrested in 1977 and dies in custody, and Woods is left to confront what follows. The film is based on actual events and on Woods's own writing.

Richard Attenborough directed and produced the film, with a screenplay by John Briley, the same writer he had worked with on Gandhi five years earlier. It came between A Chorus Line and Chaplin in Attenborough's filmography. Kevin Kline plays Donald Woods and Denzel Washington plays Steve Biko, with Penelope Wilton, Kate Hardie, John Matshikiza and Zakes Mokae among the cast.

Made for a reported 29 million dollars, the film took in roughly 26 million worldwide, so it did not recover its budget at the box office. On IMDb it holds 7.4 out of 10 from about 15,000 votes, and on TMDB 7 out of 10 from around 240 votes. A critics' rating of 6.6 out of 10 from 26 reviews places it somewhat below the audience scores, indicating a moderate rather than enthusiastic critical response.