Trevor Moses on ‘Riding the High Wind’

Trevor Moses was born in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 1967, and experienced his childhood during a period of conflict called the Rhodesian Bush War. However, his love for movies began at age seven when he unexpectedly saw Murder on the Orient Express at the cinema.

Trevor’s love for film led to a 33-year career at the South African National Film, Video and Sound Archives in Pretoria, where he worked until 2022. He helped with countless projects, including the Academy Award-winning documentary, *Searching For Sugar Man*.

Trevor is sharing his deep knowledge and experience in his first book, ‘Riding The High Wind,’ which will be released next year. This detailed book combines personal stories with a history of Africa’s film industry, spanning from 1895 to 2017. It’s a passion project, born from his thirty years of work to protect this cinematic heritage, and includes sixty unique historical photos. The book is 400 pages long.

Spling spoke with Trevor about his amazing career, the difficulties of keeping old films safe, and the fascinating movies and tales that helped create ‘Riding The High Wind’.

What motivated your decision to write a comprehensive, yet opinionated, history of the South African film industry?

I’m writing this book from the viewpoint of someone who’s *lived* in the film industry – I’ve been on set and in the editing room for years, working on tons of movies. It’s not a theoretical take or the observations of just a moviegoer; it’s based on real, hands-on experience.

If you had to select three South African films that best represent the country’s cinematic evolution, which would they be?

I’m going to mention ten that stand out for me…

As a lifelong movie fan, I’ve always been fascinated by films that capture a sense of adventure and history. Some titles I’ve really enjoyed over the years include the classic South African film *Lord Oom Piet* from 1962, and a string of films by director Rautenbach – *Die Kandidaat*, *Katrina*, and *Jannie Totsiens* – all from the late 60s and early 70s. I also remember being captivated by *Shangani Patrol* (1970) and *The Winners* (1972). Then there are the epic war films like *The Wild Geese* and *Breaker Morant*, both from the late 70s and early 80s. I even stumbled upon a few lesser-known gems like *Kill and Kill Again*. More recently, *Darfur* from 2009 really stuck with me.

What do you consider the single most significant event in the history of South African film before the post-1994 democratic era, and why?

As apartheid censorship weakened in the late 1980s, filmmakers gained more freedom.

What patterns or shifts in genre, theme or production scale have you observed across
the century, particularly when comparing the output from the 1970s to that of the 2010s?

These days, there are so many movies, but they all feel very similar and lack originality. It feels like quality has taken a backseat to simply making a lot of content.

Which film’s banning under Apartheid censorship do you believe had the biggest cultural or political impact within the country?

During the Apartheid era, only a small number of South African films were actually banned, including titles like *Three Bullets For A Long Gun*, *How Long*, *Die Square*, *Springbok*, *Shot Down*, *The Shadowed Mind*, *The Stick*, and *Place of Weeping*. Interestingly, these films weren’t considered especially significant or impactful at the time.

As a critic, I have to say South African censorship during that era was often ridiculous. They banned so many important international films – titles like *In The Heat of the Night*, *The Defiant Ones*, *The Omen*, even *The Exorcist* and its sequels, *Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner*, and *Soldier Blue* – sometimes for the most arbitrary or nonexistent reasons. It really made the country a joke on the world stage. And it wasn’t just movies; television was off-limits too!

What is the most urgent challenge currently facing the Archives in terms of preserving and making accessible South Africa’s cinematic heritage?

It’s concerning that the DSAC doesn’t seem to value South African heritage. The frequent renaming of places makes me worried about what the future holds.

What do the lost film gaps in the archive mean for the current generation of filmmakers and historians trying to understand the full scope of South African cinema?

Unless an archive or private collector possesses these missing early films, they will remain lost forever, hindering any complete understanding of this work.

In your selection process of memorable scenes for the book, were you primarily looking for scenes that were technically brilliant, emotionally resonant, or historically significant?

My book isn’t organized chronologically. Instead, it covers each year from 1895 to 2017, highlighting the most important events that happened in each one. It’s a bit of a combination – part textbook, part biography, part reference guide, and even part autobiography.

You’ve led a long career within the South African film industry. Can you share some of your highlights, as well as any regrets, when you look back?

Throughout my career, I’m proud to have collaborated with Malik Bendelljoul on the film *Searching for Sugar Man* and with Nic Hofmeyr on *Main Reef Road*. I’ve also spent over ten years screening films across South Africa.

It’s been a great honor to be mentored by six leading professionals in my field, especially my direct work mentor. I also truly enjoy and feel privileged to lecture at colleges and universities, sharing the history of our industry with students.

I collaborated with Leon van Nierop on the book *Daar Doer in die Fliek*, which was a pleasant experience. However, I didn’t enjoy working on the subsequent TV series because the producers weren’t good to me.

I have a few regrets in my career. One is working on the film *In Darkest Hollywood*. I also regret my involvement with the team behind *Long Nights Journey into Day*. My time in pre-production on *Invictus* was also a negative experience – I thought the movie took too many liberties with historical accuracy and felt overly sensationalized. Finally, I regret working on the location scouting and restoration of some controversial films from the 1980s that were tied to a subsidy scandal. A person involved in those films threatened my job when I couldn’t locate archived copies they requested.

I had a difficult experience with Katinka Heyns on the project *Silwerdoekstories*; she actively tried to get me removed. I attended the South African premieres of *District 9* and *Avengers: Age of Ultron* (which was partially filmed in Johannesburg). I left *District 9* midway through because I strongly disliked its message. At the *Avengers* premiere, I was frustrated to hear people connected to the ANC claim that no films had ever been made in Johannesburg, despite the city’s rich history as a center for African cinema. I also faced opposition from a self-proclaimed South African film expert and writer who tried to prevent me from publishing my work.

Where should our industry be focusing if we are to compete on an international level and how do you think we can get there?

Honestly, I think we’ve always had a presence on the international stage, even going back to the apartheid era. I remember films like *The Gods Must Be Crazy* (1980), *The Winners* (1972), and *Kill and Kill Again* (1981) being huge hits abroad. It proves we’ve been making films that resonate with audiences worldwide for a long time.

What inspired the title ‘Riding the High Wind’ for your book?

The project was initially going to be titled *Retire Some of the Butchers*, a phrase used by publisher Harry Jones to criticize South Africa’s censorship board. However, I ultimately chose the current title as a tribute to my friend and mentor, David Millin ASC, who directed and wrote the 1965 adventure thriller *Ride The High Wind* (also known as *African Gold*). You can actually find it on YouTube! Interestingly, that film is arguably Africa’s first zombie movie – it’s full of creepy scenes and ends with a dead character killing the villain.

2025-10-07 21:44