Without the King

Without the King
Without the King
Directed by	Michael Skolnik
Written by	Michael Skolnik
Produced by	Michael Skolnik
Starring	Mswati III; Princess Sikhanyiso; Queen LaMbikiza
Cinematography	James Adolphus
Edited by	Martha Skolnik
Release date	2007;
Running time	83 minutes
Languages	English; siSwati

Without the King is a 2007 documentary film by Michael Skolnik, an American filmmaker. It follows problems of Swaziland, a landlocked country in southern Africa.

The film features Mswati III, the king of Swaziland, and his daughter and self claimed rapper Princess Sikhanyiso. It shows the angry populace and the country's problems such as a high HIV prevalence, comparing it with the daily life of Mswati III, Africa's last absolute monarch.

The film won a Special Jury Prize from the Best International Feature Documentary award jury at the 2007 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival.

Synopsis

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 94% of 18 critics' reviews are positive. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 55 out of 100, based on 7 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.

References

↑ Bearak, Barry (September 6, 2008). "In Destitute Swaziland, Leader Lives Royally". The New York Times.
1 2 Scheib, Ronnie (April 23, 2008). "Without the King". Variety.
↑ Catsoulis, Jeannette (April 25, 2008). "An extravagant ruler of a modest kingdom". The New York Times (Review). Retrieved November 27, 2013.
↑ Bennett, Bruce (April 25, 2008). "Swaziland's King of Pain". The New York Sun. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
↑ "Hot Docs film festival breaks attendance record with 68,000 taking in films". Canadian Press, April 30, 2007.
↑ "Without the King". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
↑ "Without the King". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved October 10, 2026.

External links

Without the King at IMDb

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[1] Bearak, Barry (September 6, 2008). "In Destitute Swaziland, Leader Lives Royally". The New York Times.

[Scheib_2008-2] 1 2 Scheib, Ronnie (April 23, 2008). "Without the King". Variety.

[3] Catsoulis, Jeannette (April 25, 2008). "An extravagant ruler of a modest kingdom". The New York Times (Review). Retrieved November 27, 2013.

[4] Bennett, Bruce (April 25, 2008). "Swaziland's King of Pain". The New York Sun. Retrieved August 20, 2024.

[attendance-5] "Hot Docs film festival breaks attendance record with 68,000 taking in films". Canadian Press, April 30, 2007.

[Rotten_Tomatoes-6] "Without the King". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 9, 2021.

[Metacritic-7] "Without the King". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved October 10, 2026.