Trivia

With this movie, writer and director Euzhan Palcy became the first Black woman to direct a major Hollywood movie.

This was the final movie to depict an anti-Apartheid story that was released while African philanthropist, activist, statesman, politician, and anti-Apartheid revolutionary Nelson Mandela was still in prison.

According to the Turner Classic Movies Database website, "The film is dedicated to Hannah and Henri Marie-Joseph. While Marlon Brando agreed to work on this film at no cost, he accepted the minimum required Screen Actors Guild rate of $4,000. Donald Sutherland, Michael Gambon, Janet Suzman and Susan Sarandon also worked for reduced salaries. According to a televised interview with Brando on October 7, 1989, the actor received $3,300,000 for his work (an anticipated percentage of the gross), which he planned to donate to the anti-Apartheid cause."

Reportedly, the making of this movie was spied upon by the South African government during this movie's production in Zimbabwe.

This movie received an Academy Award nomination in one category for Best Supporting Actor for Marlon Brando, but he lost out to Denzel Washington for Tiempos de gloria (1989). The nomination was Brando's eighth and final Oscar nomination. He had won the Best Actor Academy Award twice before, for Nido de ratas (1954) and El padrino (1972). This movie was Brando's only Oscar nomination in the Best Supporting Actor category.