KHARKAMS – The story of an elderly Namaqualand woman tending her goats and waiting for justice, reparations and recognition of sacrifices made generations ago has been selected as South Africa’s official entry for the 99th Annual Academy Awards.

“Variations on a Theme”, which was shot in Kharkams in the Northern Cape and stars community members, now awaits the judging process of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to determine the shortlist for the coveted Osca

The National Film and Video Foundation, an agency of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, has announced that “Variations on a Theme” (Variasies op ‘n Tema) has been selected as South Africa’s official entry for the 99th Annual Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category.

Co-written and co-directed by Jason Jacobs and Devon Delmar, the film – shot entirely in Afrikaans – stars Jacobs’s own grandmother, Hettie Farmer, alongside local community members from the village of Kharkams between Garies and Kamieskroon in the Northern Cape. The deeply personal project represents the filmmakers’ second feature, following their debut “Carissa”, which premiered in the Orizzonti competition of the 2024 Venice International Film Festival.

Legacy of broken promises

At the heart of the story is Ouma Hettie, an elderly goat herder haunted by the ghost of her father, a man who served in the Native Military Corps during the Second World War. His payment after four years of service? At the harbour in Cape Town, before heading home to his goats, he received a pair of boots and a bicycle. The villagers around her share this history: men who returned from war empty-handed, and whose descendants still bear the economic consequences generations later.

In the present day, this legacy resurfaces in another form of deception. Scam artists arrive promising the social relief fund the community has been waiting for, complete with an application fee. Ouma Hettie gathers what she can to pay for it. The scammers vanish, and once again, she waits. Her waiting is interrupted by the arrival of her family for her 80th birthday. They mean well, but their visit disrupts the fragile order of her days, the careful routine she has built over years of solitude. They want her to move to the city, to give up her independence, to let go of the land that has defined her entire life.

Musical structure and visual poetry

The film has been described as a slow-burn blend of documentary and magical realism, distinguished by its unique visual structure. Delmar explained that the approach was inspired by the musical compositional form of theme and variations. Each day repeats the same series of compositions, a fixed number of frames captured over five days, within which the smallest details shift and transform.

The framing remains constant, but the life within each shot changes: gestures, conversations and small movements become the material of variation. Shot with painterly stillness and accompanied by a score that develops through its own musical variations, the film transforms repetition into revelation, presenting a portrait of waiting, endurance and loss.

The selection follows a rigorous adjudication process conducted by the South African Academy Awards Selection Committee, comprising 13 professionals drawn from across the filmmaking value chain, including directing, producing, distribution and technical expertise.

International recognition

“Variations on a Theme” has already achieved remarkable international recognition. The film won the prestigious Tiger Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam 2026, followed by Best African Film at the Joburg Film Festival and the Wild Dreamer Award for Best Film at Zagreb Subversive. Most recently, it received Best Feature Narrative at the BlackStar Film Festival in Philadelphia. The film also received jury special mentions at the Tarifa-Tangier African Film Festival and Transilvania International Film Festival.

The film was produced collaboratively by the filmmakers in association with Kraal Stories, Meria Productions and Interakt from the Netherlands, and is presented by the National Film and Video Foundation with support from the Hubert Bals Fund, Doha Film Institute, Institut français, the Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée of Tunisia, and Carthage Pro’s Takmil workshop.

Producer Annemarie du Plessis expressed gratitude for the selection: “Being selected to represent South Africa as the country’s Oscar submission is an incredible honour. The fact that we get to share the beautiful community of Kharkams, who are truly the heartbeat of this film, with the world makes it even more special.”

Bringing the story home

Jacobs and Delmar stated: “From Kharkams, this South African film carries our people and our stories beyond our borders, honouring those who came before us and those who keep on dreaming. We are proud to be selected for South Africa’s official submission to the Oscars.”

National Film and Video Foundation Acting Head of Operations Lerato Mokopanele expressed pride in the achievement, highlighting the film’s world-class cinematography, historical storyline and unique approach to storytelling.

Jacobs, the 2026 Standard Bank Young Artist of the Year, narrates the film and also appears as his great-grandfather. “He was 19 when he signed up,” Jacobs explains in the film. Telling this personal history was extremely important for the filmmaker.

In October, the film will have two sold-out screenings at the BFI London Film Festival, following prestigious festival appearances at MoMA and Film at Lincoln Center in New York, the Melbourne International Film Festival and the Hong Kong International Film Festival. A three-night red carpet community screening took place in Kharkams in March this year.