Dora's Peace

Dora is a prostitute living out a precarious existence in Hillbrow, Johannesburg, South Africa. Now in her forties, she has seen it all. She has sold her body on the streets, has been locked-up and used by the cops, abused and beaten by customers. But it hasn’t been all bad – when she was younger and her asking price was a great deal higher, she was in demand. Once she had been in a relationship with Stavro, a Greek bookie who she still sees occasionally. But now the years are catching up, and even she knows that the life she has known for so long will soon come to an end. Into this solitary life comes twelve-year old Peace, a talented artist and the son of one of her neighbours, a druggie who’s landed herself in a whole lot of trouble. Before long Dora will be forced to make a decision – protect Peace from the bad guys or let them win, effectively sentencing an innocent child to death. Children have never really been a part of Dora’s life. Her mother is dead, and she is estranged from her father, a rural Priest. There are aspects of her past that she does not really want to revisit. Her only ally appears to be Ravi, a Rasta-loving Indian taxi driver with a wacked-out driving style and a wicked sense of humour. Stavro could be another ally, but trust is something that does not come easy to Dora. She knows the streets, understands how they work and how to make them work for her. This time, with a young boy on the run, she may not be up to the task. What ensues will thrill and chill you, as Dora comes up against her hardest opponent yet–her own truest nature. (Orlando Film Festival)