Science Fiction
United States of America,New Zealand,Canada,South Africa
District 9 is a science fiction film directed by Neill Blomkamp and produced by Peter Jackson. The film was released in 2009 and is set in Johannesburg, South Africa. The movie explores the themes of discrimination, segregation, and xenophobia.
The story begins with a newsreel that explains that an alien spacecraft arrived on Earth twenty-eight years ago and stalled above Johannesburg. The aliens, which are insect-like and referred to as "prawns," are given asylum by the South African government who relocate them to District 9, a government-run shantytown.
The film follows Wikus van de Merwe, a mid-level bureaucrat at Multi-National United (MNU), the company responsible for overseeing the aliens. Wikus is tasked with relocating the aliens to a new settlement outside of the city. While overseeing the eviction process, Wikus discovers a mysterious liquid that alters his DNA, eventually turning him into a prawn.
As Wikus begins to transform, he becomes the subject of a manhunt by MNU, who is hoping to harvest his DNA in order to master the technology that the prawns possess. Wikus is helped by one of the prawns, Christopher Johnson, who is attempting to return to their home planet with his young son.
The film is shot in a pseudo-documentary style, with handheld cameras and newsreel footage intermixed with traditional narrative scenes. The movie was critically acclaimed for its unique take on the science fiction genre and its social commentary on apartheid-era South Africa.
District 9 was a commercial success, grossing over $200 million worldwide. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and won the award for Best Visual Effects.
