Directed by South African artist Pola Maneli, "APART" — an animated short set in apartheid-era South Africa — will make its world premiere at the 2026 Tribeca Festival in the USA, June 3–14 in New York City, its 25th anniversary edition.
Official synopsis: Amid the harsh realities of South African apartheid, two boys – Themba and Joel – form a dangerous friendship. As hate and fear threaten to pull them apart, their bond faces its greatest challenge in the form of a life-saving gesture. Through their eyes, we glimpse a moment of innocence—where hope, empathy, and understanding still feel possible.
Maneli's work has appeared on the cover of The New Yorker and entered the collection of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
The script is co-written by Spike Lee, Tim Jones, Jeff Leisawitz, and South African writer Lubabalo Mtati.
Grammy-winning South African musician Black Coffee serves as the film's Music Supervisor, shaping its soundscape.
Per the press release: Four animation techniques — traditional 2D frame-to-frame, cut-out, 3D, and 2.5D.
266 professionals, including 157 animation artists and a 50-person Art Department.
Roughly 600 days of production using 14 software tools. No AI was used in the making of the film.
One of the film's two visual styles draws from Maneli's signature language — an homage to the powerful, accessible, and reproducible art form used to communicate anti-apartheid messages, bypass censorship, and document the struggles of Black South Africans between 1948 and 1994.
Tribeca Festival 2026 runs June 3–14 in New York City.
