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is district 9 an allegory

by Merritt Marvin Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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The film is a thinly-disguised allegory for the Apartheid regime that ruled in South Africa from 1948 to 1994: it was a system of forced racial segregation, where non-whites were relegated to second class citizenry and whites dominated the country, running the government and getting the best jobs and land.

Full Answer

What is the meaning of District 9?

District 9. District 9 is itself a symbol of the countless refugee slums that exist in the world today. We are able to see the nature of this type of environment in this film. The filth, mistreatment, savagery, oppression and racism that occurs. District 9 is a symbol of what real people go through on a day to day basis in order to survive.

Is District 9 a white saviour film?

Another point Nicholas makes is that District 9 is a "stereotypical White Saviour film". She states that the plot is about a white man working for the government, who has roots "in South Africa's apartheid culture", involuntarily joining the "victims of apartheid".

Is the District 9 social theme so alien?

^ Dudek, Duane (13 August 2009). "'District 9' social theme isn't so alien – JSOnline". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Archived from the original on 23 July 2010. Retrieved 6 September 2010.

Is District 9 based on a true story?

The location that portrays District 9 is itself a real impoverished neighbourhood from which people were being forcibly relocated to government-subsidised housing. Several scenes were shot at the Ponte building.

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What did District 9 represent?

This film was absolutely right to do that. The direct allegory running through the story is easy to recognize: District 9 is a reference to District 6, an area in South Africa where 60,000 colored Africans were evicted from their homes during apartheid in the 1970s.

What is District 9 based off of?

The title and premise of District 9 were inspired by events in Cape Town's District Six, during the apartheid era. A viral marketing campaign for the film began in 2008 at San Diego Comic-Con, while the theatrical trailer debuted in July 2009.

What is the theme of District 9?

Racism, Class Inequality and Unemployment The province explores nine themes: racism, class inequality, and unemployment in dealing with post-apartheid South Africa. In fact, the visual temptation of mise-en-scène says something about the social, economic and ethnic conditions that exist in Johannesburg.

Is District 9 a spoof?

For those who can't quite make out what it says above, they summarise the film as follows: Spoof sci-fi comedy. Fantasy weapons violence with oodles of grotesque, gory special effects. Strong language throughout.

Is there a District 10?

Neill Blomkamp Confirms Long-Planned 'District 9' Sequel Is Now Being Written: 'It's Coming' “District 10,” Neill Blomkamp's long-planned sequel to “District 9,” is taking a big leap forward in development as the filmmaker confirmed on Twitter that he is now working on the script with ...

Why did the aliens come to Earth in District 9?

While the aliens came to earth because they had no other option, they are still living there against their own free will. Unlike the Jews however, their symbolic temple, the spaceship, was not destroyed, yet they cannot use it.

Are Elysium and Chappie related?

Both films directed by Neil Blomkamp, Chappie is set in near future where people have invented advance AI system and also can transfer consiousness to computers as shown in the movie.

Why is District 9 so good?

District 9 has so much to like. It's spectacular, darkly funny, entertaining and thoughtful all at the same time, and it's all done on a meager $30m budget. There is true talent on show here. If only there were more films like this, the world of cinema would be a more interesting place.

Will District 9 ever get a sequel?

With an ending that teases more to the story, Blomkamp has hinted at a District 9 sequel, various times since the release of the original film with previous reports stating that it will be inspired by real-life American politics.

Did District 9 win any Oscars?

Ray Bradbury AwardCritics' Choice Movie Awa...District 9/Awards

Was District 9 based on a true story?

Many viewers will be surprised to know that Peter Jackman and Neill Blomkamp's sci-fi hit District 9 is actually based on real events. The movie is a mock documentary following the relocation process of a group of aliens, or prawns, who have been stranded in Johannesburg, South Africa, and are living in a refugee camp.

Is District 9 appropriate for kids?

It's Rated R for bloody violence and pervasive language. Keep the little geeklets far away. If you let your teenagers see violent action movies, then they would be Ok with this.

Where is District 9 located in The Hunger Games?

According to the map of Panem featured in The Hunger Games Adventures, District 9 is located in the central area of North America, along the region known as the Great Plains.

Did District 9 win any Oscars?

Ray Bradbury AwardCritics' Choice Movie Awa...District 9/Awards

Where does 9 take place?

9 takes place in a post-apocalyptic sci-fi/steampunk world where humans built war machines that wiped out all organic life on Earth. In order to keep humanity going, a scientist used alchemy to split his soul into nine parts.

Is Elysium District 9 sequel?

Blomkamp went on to Elysium and then Chappie. After Chappie Blomkamp announced that he felt District 9, Elysium, and Chappie were a trilogy of sorts and that Chappie wrapped up that sequel.

What does MNU manufacture?

They are a weapons manufacturer.

The film District 9

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The movie alien 1979

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What Happens to Wikus in District 9?

In the context of District 9, Wikus is considered to be a high class citizen, simply because he's a human. When he begins his transformation into an alien, his company plans to perform medical experiments on him to learn more about his emerging alien DNA. So he has no choice but to take shelter in the slums of District 9.

What camp does Wikus move to?

The rest of the alien population is moved to a camp called District 10.

Why does Wikus sacrifice himself?

He realizes that the alien lives are worth just as much as his, so he essentially sacrifices himself so Christopher and CJ can escape. The final shot of the film shows that Wikus has fully transformed into an alien and leaves anonymous gifts at his wife's door to show he's still thinking of her.

What do Christopher and CJ do to Wikus?

Christopher and CJ take him in and vow to heal him. Wikus gets a taste of life on the other side. He realizes that the alien lives are worth just as much as his, so he essentially sacrifices himself so Christopher and CJ can escape. The final shot of the film shows that Wikus has fully transformed into an alien and leaves anonymous gifts at his wife's door to show he's still thinking of her. Audiences might eventually learn more about Wikus, as director Neill Blomkamp has said he'd like to finish the Wikus/Christopher story.

What is the name of Christopher Johnson's son in District 9?

While District 9 is full of aliens, the found footage film just focuses on two — Christopher Johnson and his son CJ. At the beginning of the film, Wikus attempts to serve an illegal eviction notice to Christopher's friend Paul. Little did he know, Paul and the father-son duo were working on an escape plan. They had been treated so cruelly during their time on Earth that they were looking for their own escape plan. Paul is shot in cold blood, so Christopher and CJ continue the plan alone.

Where does Wikus go when he becomes an alien?

When Wikus begans his transformation into an alien, he takes refuge in District 9. Christopher and CJ take him under their wing. Their kindness proves that the humans' cruelty was completely unearned. Wikus eventually helps them escape, but unfortunately it is just the two of them that manage to slip out. The rest of the alien population is moved to a camp called District 10. The new camp is supposed to be better than District 9, but the prejudice toward the aliens will undoubtedly continue in this new camp. It proves that class inequality is a vicious cycle with no end in sight.

Where did the aliens come from in 1982?

In 1982, a spaceship arrives out of the blue in Johannesburg, South Africa. A million aliens, cruelly nicknamed Prawns by locals, emerge from the ship. The aliens are moved to a camp called District 9 and it eventually becomes something of an alien slum. Human locals grow increasingly unhappy with the camp, calling the alien residents filthy and lawbreakers. Weapons manufacturer Multinational United is sent in to evict the aliens from their camp and move them out of the city. Employee Wikus van de Merwe is tasked with leading the relocation.

What is District 9?

Not to be confused with Section 9. District 9 is a 2009 science fiction action film directed by Neill Blomkamp in his feature film debut, written by Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell, and produced by Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham. It is a co-production of New Zealand, the United States and South Africa.

What is the setting of District 9?

Like Alive in Joburg, the short film on which the feature film is based, the setting of District 9 is inspired by historical events during the apartheid era, particularly alluding to District Six, an inner-city residential area in Cape Town, declared a "whites only" area by the government in 1966, with 60,000 people forcibly removed to Cape Flats, 25 km (16 miles) away. The film also refers to contemporary evictions and forced removals to suburban ghettos in post-apartheid South Africa, as well as the resistance of its residents. This includes the high-profile attempted forced removal of the Joe Slovo informal settlement in Cape Town to temporary relocation areas in Delft, plus evictions in the shack settlement, Chiawelo, where the film was actually shot. Blikkiesdorp, a temporary relocation area in Cape Town , has also been compared with the District 9 camp earning a front-page spread in the Daily Voice.

What district is Alive in Joburg?

In District 9 , Tatchell and Blomkamp returned to the world explored in his short film Alive in Joburg, choosing characters, moments and concepts that they found interesting including the documentary-style filmmaking, staged interviews, alien designs, alien technology/ mecha suits, and the parallels to racial conflict and segregation in South Africa, and fleshing out these elements for the feature film.

What camera was used for District 9?

According to HD Magazine, District 9 was shot on RED One cameras using build 15, Cooke S4 primes and Angenieux zooms . The documentary -style and CCTV -style cam footage was shot on the Sony EX1/EX3 XDCAM-HD. Additionally, the post-production team was warned that the most RED Camera footage they could handle a day was about an hour and a half. When that got to five hours a day additional resources were brought in, and 120 terabytes of data was filled.

How much did District 9 make?

District 9 grossed US$115.6 million from the United States and Canada, with a worldwide total of $210,819,611 , against a production budget of US$30 million. Documents from the Sony Pictures hack revealed the film turned a profit of $67 million.

Who is the director of District 9?

District 9 is a 2009 science fiction action film directed by Neill Blomkamp in his feature film debut, written by Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell, and produced by Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham. It is a co-production of New Zealand, the United States and South Africa.

When was District 9 made?

A viral marketing campaign for the film began in 2008 at San Diego Comic-Con, while the theatrical trailer debuted in July 2009. District 9 was released by TriStar Pictures on 14 August 2009, in North America and became a financial success, earning over $210 million at the box office. It also received acclaim from critics, who praised the film's direction, performances, themes, and story, with some calling it one of the best science fiction films of the 2000s, and garnered numerous awards and nominations, including four Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Visual Effects, and Best Film Editing.

How did 10 District 9 come together?

10 District 9 Came Together When A Halo Movie Fell Apart. When Peter Jackson was developing a film adaptation of the Halo video games, his first choice to direct it was Blomkamp. So, Jackson worked closely with Blomkamp to develop the project. The budget ballooned to $145 million, at which point the studio decided it was too risky and scrapped it.

Where did Blomkamp grow up?

Blomkamp grew up in South Africa during apartheid. His script for District 9 was not based on historical research; it was based on real events that Blomkamp witnessed as a kid. Having grown up in South Africa during apartheid, Blomkamp had a first-hand account of how the restrictive and racist laws could corrupt and mutate a society, ...

How much did District 9 make?

The very definition of a “sleeper hit,” District 9 surpassed a whopping $200 million at the worldwide box office and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. This made it the first movie made in the “found footage” style to be nominated for the award.

Did Sharlto Copley act in Alive in Joburg?

Sharlto Copley had never acted before Blomkamp asked him to appear in his short film Alive in Joburg, and had never really considered a career in acting. When Blomkamp adapted his short into a feature film, he brought back Copley to star. The immense success of the film led Copley into an acting career he never pursued.

What is District 9 about?

Expanded from the fictional world set up in Blomkamp’s six-minute short Alive in Joburg, District 9 is one of the most memorable and original science fiction movies in recent memory, standing alongside such thought-provoking 21st-century offerings as Arrival, Ex Machina, Inception, and Children of Men.

Why are there tensions between South Africans and Nigerians living in South Africa?

There are tensions between South Africans and Nigerian immigrants living in South Africa, as the latter have been blamed for an increased crime rate. Their statements were later tweaked in post-production to make it sound like they were talking about extra-terrestrials. District 9 ’s portrayal of Nigerians as criminals and cannibals got the movie banned in Nigeria.

Is there a prequel to District 9?

Over the years, Blomkamp has suggested the possibility of making a prequel to District 9, which would certainly be interesting. In more recent interviews, Blomkamp has referred to the sequel as District 10, suggesting he’s thought about it more and maybe come up with a story he’s happy with.

What is the story behind Invictus?

None comes bigger than Invictus, an adaptation of British journalist John Carlin's book Playing the Enemy, which tells how Mandela used the rugby world cup to unite the nation. South Africa's first black president pulled off a political masterstroke by wearing a Springbok jersey to embrace the traditionally Afrikaner sport and rally both blacks and suspicious whites.

What is the movie about Nelson Mandela?

The warped society apartheid created will be examined in a rugby film about Nelson Mandela, the story of photographers capturing township violence, and the startling real-life account of a black girl born to white parents.

What is District 9 about?

District 9: South Africa and apartheid come to the movies. A sci-fi blockbuster that's also an allegory of apartheid? District 9 is only the biggest of a glut of films about South Africa's recent traumatic past. They came from another planet …. Scene from District 9.

Which country hosts the first football world cup?

All eyes will be on South Africa next year when it hosts the continent's first football World Cup. Of all the new releases, District 9 wears its politics most lightly, making no mention of apartheid or its legacy in today's impoverished black townships.

Who is the actor who played Winnie Mandela's successor?

Freeman, though, is only the most high-profile actor who is immortalising Mandela on screen. British actor David Harewood plays the emancipation lodestar in Mrs Mandela, an upcoming BBC biopic of Winnie Mandela shot in and around Soweto.

Where are the prawns in District 9?

The Prawns – as they are known in derogatory slang because of their vaguely crustacean appearance – spend their hopeless days brawling and getting high on pet food. District 9's director, Neill Blomkamp, lives in Canada, but was born and grew up in Johannesburg.

Where did the P oor aliens live?

P oor aliens. They trek halfway across the galaxy, run out of gas and end up living off cat food in, of all places, 1980s Johannesburg. Then they get the kind of reception that asylum seekers who don't speak the language have come to expect. This is the improbable premise of the surprise sci-fi hit of the year.

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1.District 9 Symbols, Allegory and Motifs | GradeSaver

Url:https://www.gradesaver.com/district-9/study-guide/symbols-allegory-motifs

18 hours ago District 9. District 9 is itself a symbol of the countless refugee slums that exist in the world today. We are able to see the nature of this type of environment in this film. The filth, …

2.What was the specific allegory of District 9? - Science …

Url:https://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/12488/what-was-the-specific-allegory-of-district-9

6 hours ago The general description of the camps sounds disturbingly similar to the conditions of District 9. These events (riots and camps) occurred in 2008. I'm not convinced the film is even really …

3.Videos of Is District 9 An Allegory

Url:/videos/search?q=is+district+9+an+allegory&qpvt=is+district+9+an+allegory&FORM=VDRE

28 hours ago  · In 'District 9,' An Apartheid Allegory (With Aliens) Metaphorical mothership: Three decades after extraterrestrials arrive on Earth, they remain quarantined in a violent, squalid …

4.In 'District 9,' An Apartheid Allegory (With Aliens) - NPR.org

Url:https://www.npr.org/2009/08/13/111628060/in-district-9-an-apartheid-allegory-with-aliens

31 hours ago District 9 is a blatant allegory for class inequality. The aliens represent the poor and the human population represents the wealthy. The aliens are barely hanging on in their meager existence …

5.District 9's Ending: Aliens & Wikus' Fate Explained

Url:https://screenrant.com/district-9-movie-ending-wikus-fate-aliens-explained/

31 hours ago the aliens, similar to the black South Africans, were constantly disrespected and insulted. the black South Africans lost their citizenship, denationalising them and removing part of their …

6.How is District 9 an allegory for the apartheid in South Afr

Url:https://prezi.com/nwiwrh3dehl4/how-is-district-9-an-allegory-for-the-apartheid-in-south-afr/

10 hours ago  · District 9 is an allegory of apartheid. Signs stationed near bathrooms and elevators marked certain facilities for "Humans Only.” Such a sight was neither uncommon in …

7.District 9 - Wikipedia

Url:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_9

4 hours ago Doctor Shohini Chauduri wrote that District 9 even echoes apartheid in its title, as it is reminiscent "of District 6 in Cape Town, declared a whites-only area under the Group Areas …

8.We Can't Go Home: 10 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About …

Url:https://screenrant.com/district-9-behind-the-scenes-facts/

14 hours ago  · Neill Blomkamp immediately established himself as a unique voice in filmmaking with District 9, his sci-fi allegory for the horrors of apartheid. Having grown up in South Africa …

9.District 9: South Africa and apartheid come to the movies

Url:https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/aug/20/district-9-south-africa-apartheid

24 hours ago  · District 9 has been lauded for combining an allegory of apartheid with awesome special effects, but it is perhaps the real-life locations that will linger in audience minds.

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