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Watch the heart-wrenching, official trailer, Ellen: The Story of Ellen Pakkies

The tragic and powerful story of Ellen Pakkies, a South African woman who was forced to murder her tik–addicted son, has finally been captured and reimagined on screen. Tik, also known as crystal meth, ravaged the poorer communities in the Cape in the 1990s and has since become a household name with 1 in every 5 children using the drug.

Pakkies endured six years of persistent and violent abuse at the hands of her son Abie, 20, and was eventually driven to strangle him to death in 2007 at their home in Lavender Hill, Cape Town, after exhausting every possible option of helping him. She turned herself in to the local police station after committing the murder and as a result of extensive community support, she was only sentenced 280 hours of community service and a three year suspended sentence.

Ellen Pakkies and her son put a face to the tik epidemic in the Cape and became the most vivid illustration of drug addiction the country had ever seen – a visceral representation of the devastating reality that many families are faced with.

Ellen: The Ellen Pakkies Story was directed by award-winning director, Daryne Joshua and has already been screened at the Rotterdam International Film Festival and the 44th Seattle International Film Festival this year.

CLICK here to watch the official movie trailer.

Amy Gibbings

FEATURED IMAGE: Screen Shot from Vimeo – Ellen, Die Storie Van Ellen Pakkies official movie trailer. https://vimeo.com/275075566

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