From District Six to District 9: apartheid, spectacle and the real

Neill Blomkamp's 2009 science fiction blockbuster captivated audiences around the world, garnering four Academy Award nominations including Best Picture. While genres like horror, science fiction and action are undeniably popular with viewers, these sorts of films are rarely considered 'serious' enough for Oscar consideration. So what made 'District 9' a film about aliens and spaceships so different? Its spectacular effects and familiar science fiction story about an extraterrestrial invasion make it pleasurable to watch, but by focusing on humanity's xenophobic treatment of the aliens in contemporary Johannesburg, 'District 9' also functions as a powerful allegory for the very real traumas that faced South Africa, the film's country of production, during and after apartheid.