16 August 200916 August 2009 Main Posts workers of the galaxy unite! Jeff Sparrow District 9 portrays first contact between humanity and an alien species taking place in post-apartheid South Africa, with the intergalactic visitors eventually herded into a gigantic slum. The film lurches unevenly between mockumentary and thriller, with the former much more successful than the latter. In some ways, the original short version, Alive in Joberg (embedded above) is more interesting, not least because it’s set in the apartheid era, and because it’s more anthropological and less driven by a conventional filmic narrative. Nonetheless, District 9‘s definitely worth seeing, especially the first half. Jeff Sparrow Jeff Sparrow is a Walkley Award-winning writer, broadcaster and former editor of Overland. More by Jeff Sparrow Overland is a not-for-profit magazine with a proud history of supporting writers, and publishing ideas and voices often excluded from other places. If you like this piece, or support Overland’s work in general, please subscribe or donate. Related articles & Essays First published in Overland Issue 228 24 February 202317 March 2023 Main Posts Final Results of the 2022 Judith Wright Poetry Prize Editorial Team Overland, the judges and the Malcolm Robertson Foundation are thrilled to announce the final results of the 2022 Judith Wright Poetry Prize. First published in Overland Issue 228 24 February 202317 March 2023 Main Posts Final Results of the 2022 Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize Editorial Team Overland, the judges and the Malcolm Robertson Foundation are thrilled to announce the final results of the 2022 Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize.
