South Africa, 20 years after the end of Apartheid. In a township on the edge of Johannesburg called Katlehong, which means “progress” in Sotho, the situation of its inhabitants has barely evolved. The first generation to grow up within the new freedom tries to make a life for itself, but it’s one that swings back and forth between insouciance and anxiety. Aged 18 to 20, Tshidiso, Venter and Seipati find escape through a dance company called TAXIDO, which lets them express themselves outside the township…

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What has happened to South Africa since the end of Apartheid in 1991? For four year, Swiss director Irene Loebell followed a handful of young people through the streets of their township, a vestige of an era in which blacks were rehoused far from the large cities. As they live both carefree lives, falling in love for the first time and worry about catching AIDS, they find pleasure in dancing and suffer the lack of family structure – passing into adulthood surrounded by complications. The director’s film is kind-hearted and sincere, witnessing their courage, perseverance and their fight to exist. Simple in its form and approach, Life in Progress is nonetheless remarkable.