Seconds

SECONDS follows the story of Seconds Khumalo, an ageing boxer from the East Rand of Johannesburg, whose quiet existence begins to unravel as buried traumas and long-held secrets resurface. Living and training under Pa Van Tonder, patriarch of the white Afrikaans family who owns the butchery he works for, Seconds has spent decades boxing in their name. But tensions rise when his estranged son, Lukas Khumalo, a charismatic, up-and-coming politician, returns—threatening Pa’s authority and reigniting old rivalries.

As the final countdown looms, a web of lies, betrayal, and generational wounds is exposed: an underground boxing syndicate, an illegitimate son, and a mysterious figure known only as Bambi. Seconds must fight—not for glory—but to reclaim his family, his dignity, and his life.

The film was commissioned by eVOD, premiered on Amazon Prime, and received five SAFTA nominations in 2024, including Best Feature Film, winning for Best Lead and Best Supporting Actor.

SECONDS marks Liese Kuhn’s feature directorial debut, and was produced by Nhlanhla Mthethwa of Full Circle Productions and Carolyn Carew of Free Women Films. Shot in Brakpan, a historically charged mining town east of Johannesburg known for its stark socio-economic divides and complex racial history, the location grounds the film in a raw, lived-in reality. Directed as a multilingual work—seamlessly shifting between IsiZulu, Setswana, and Afrikaans—the film features a powerful ensemble cast, including South African screen legend Vusi Kunene.