The Smell of Apples

The Smell of Apples (2026)

Die Reuk van Appels

In the white utopia of 1970’s Apartheid South Africa, a young boy’s summer holiday becomes a test of his love for his father.

In the insulated bubble of white Apartheid South Africa, Marnus, a sheltered 11-year old boy accuses the grandson of his family’s domestic worker of steeling his fishing rod. A brutal chain of events is set in motion, shattering the illusion of his family’s wholesome facade.

Date of release
2026-09-11
Runtime
1h 44m
Genres
History, Drama
Director
John Trengove

Casting

Interesting facts

The Smell of Apples is a 2026 drama film co-written and directed by John Trengove. The film is a South African-Netherlands-Chilean co-production, and is based on the 1993 book of the same name by Mark Behr. It follows a sheltered 11-year-old white South African boy, who gradually comes to realise the horrors of the apartheid system.

Production

The Smell of Apples (in Afrikaans, Die Reuk van Appels) is a coming-of-age drama film based on the 1993 novel The Smell of Apples by South African author Mark Behr, which was nominated for the Booker Prize in that year. It is director John Trengove's third feature film, and is an international co-production by Portobello Productions and Cadence in South Africa, BALDR Film in the Netherlands, and Quijote in Chile.

Trengrove also co-wrote the script, along with Christopher Ciancimino. Lennert Hillege is responsible for the cinematography, and Matthew Swanepoel edited the film.

The film includes references to clandestine dealings between the South African Government and the Pinochet regime in Chile.

Read on Wikipedia · Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Data from Wikidata.

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