Family Vilakati

Life is tough for the Vilakati family. Their parents are gone - Dad, dead from the aids scourge which has orphaned 65,000 in the country and Mum MIA and, possibly, also dead.

As a result it is left to the two older siblings to tend and care for the younger pair. This is a touching and revealing documentary short, with director Xanthe Hamilton capturing the day to day activities of the family, without seeming to intrude. There is space to for the eldest son to talk about his aspirations for the future, which largely centre on his family but also time to watch the family interacting, all pitching in to run the household.

Tough and intimate, Hamilton captures both the sense of tragedy and the strength of the family's bond. Let's hope she gets to paint her portraits on a larger canvas soon.