Nelson Mandela - A Life for Liberty

Nelson Mandela was born 100 years ago. The man many South Africans call the father of their country was imprisoned for 27 years by the apartheid regime. Later he was sworn in as the first freely elected president of a democratic South Africa. His friend Desmond Tutu once called Mandela "God's gift to our nation". The world remembers this remarkable man as a symbol of humanity and reconciliation.

The 'grand old man' of Africa, born on 18 July 1918, remains a legendary figure with extraordinary charisma. The "Mandela phenomenon" has been the subject of books and films, and it continues to exert a huge fascination. It was no coincidence that Nelson Mandela's father gave him the name Rolihlahla, the troublemaker. It was women who first began to tame the wild young man. Then there was the 27-year prison sentence that, as Nobel Peace laureate Desmond Tutu said, "did not embitter Nelson Mandela in the fight for freedom, but ennobled him." But the price of liberation from the ruthless apartheid state was high: isolation, torture, betrayal. The regime tried to break Mandela by targeting his most precious asset, his wife Winnie and their two daughters. Later, Mandela raised fabulous sums of money as a Nobel Peace Prize winner, a former president and the face of numerous charities. Scandals overshadowed the hero's reputation; he was embroiled in allegations of embezzlement, counterfeiting and fraud amounting to millions. But in spite of all the many unanswered questions, Mandela, who died on 5 December 2013, is still revered by his compatriots. "Nelson Mandela - A Life for Liberty" was made with the help of the former leader's friends. The result is a highly personal portrait that shows how triumphs and tragedies shaped the life of this historic figure and how much the diverse and divided country of South Africa owes to the 'Father of the Nation'.