Joe Blog

Meet filmmaker Diana Keam at a special screening and Q&A of the film Don’t Be Late For My Funeral. In South Africa, countless families were shaped by the quiet, profound influence of domestic workers — women who raised children not their own while leaving their own behind. Margaret Bogopa Matlala was one of them. Now, decades later, filmmaker Diana Keam returns to the rural town where Margaret has retired, to honour the woman who helped raise her — her other mother. What begins as a visit becomes a deeply personal reflection on unconditional love, sacrifice, and a bond that endured apartheid’s deep divisions.
Margaret was more than a nanny or domestic worker — she became the heart and soul of Diana’s white family, a guiding force in her own, and a pillar in her community. Her strength, humour, and love kept those around her grounded through births, deaths, celebrations, and hardships.
As memories surface and old secrets gently unravel, Diana comes to understand what Margaret quietly embodied all along: that some connections transcend boundaries, history, and even death.
This is a uniquely personal film — a love letter to selfless care and chosen family — and the filmmaker invites us to share in the act of remembering. Because, as Margaret taught her, love never dies. People do.