Tarih Okulu Dergisi, vol.17, no.68, pp.336-371, 2024 (Peer-Reviewed Journal)
Directed by Neil Blomkamp, District 9 is a science fiction film, garnered substantial acclaim upon its 2009 release, with box office results of around $211 million. As science fiction in film studies is considered as a visual text with multiple representations and allegorical depictions of reality, this article examines this well-known film that reflects the apartheid and post-apartheid era in Johannesburg/South Africa (1980s to the 2000s). This solid text offers insights into South Africa’s complicated urban history and a prescient warning about future urban landscapes. Employing thematic analysis, it explores the film’s portrayal of apartheid, immigration, and social dynamics within power relations addressing Neil Blomkamp’s science fiction cinema style, historical connections, racial segregation, apartheid urban practices of immigrants through aliens, references to apartheid/post-apartheid, housing-property issues in South Africa’s history, Nigerian ghettos, and the unwelcome visibility of District 9’s inhabitants.