Fear Fokol

Fear Fokol takes a deep dive into South Africa’s booming private security industry, driven by fear, inequality and mistrust in the ‘other’. With more than 550,000 private security guards, outnumbering the police and military combined, the industry has become a powerful force in protecting South Africa’s residents. As filmmaker Tuva Björk takes us on a night-time journey into the anxieties and fears of Johannesburg’s affluent residents, Fear Fokol reveals the fragile illusion of safety they provide, while reflecting on ideas of ownership, protection and vulnerability. Through a voyeuristic lens, the film examines the social divide that fuels the demand for private protection within an industry built on the failure of public protection and commodified fear, exposing the deeper psychological and socio-economic issues behind the commercialisation of security and the fragile nature of safety in a divided society.