Multicultural Vancouver can certainly glean a lesson or two—or, rather, a multitude—from the layered, ethnically diverse, and dynamic social fabric of South Africa, which boasts a whopping 11 official languages.

With its documentary-heavy program, this year’s fourth annual Vancouver South African Film Festival (Saturday and Sunday [April 5 and 6], at the Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, SFU Woodward’s) provides both education and entertainment—and doesn’t shy away from edginess, either.

The impact of apartheid is an enduring theme.

The documentary Miracle Rising chronicles the country’s transition after the release of Nelson Mandela from prison, while Breathe Again documents how one of the fastest swimmers in the world, Derek Orderson, wasn’t allowed to compete internationally due to apartheid laws.

The arts provide another unifying strand, with films such as Felix, about a teenage boy who strives to become a saxophonist against his mother’s wishes; The Creators, a documentary that explores how six artists are expressing issues in postapartheid contemporary life; and the short film “Dada the Dancing Swan”, about a dancer fusing ballet and other dance forms.

Meanwhile, two films provide profiles of lawyers: Die Wonderwerker (The Miracle Worker), about journalist, poet, and naturalist Eugène Marais, and opening-night film Soft Vengeance: Albie Sachs and the New South Africa, about writer and human-rights activist Albie Sachs.

Two collections of short documentaries, which cover subjects as diverse as an albino fashion model and the ongoing practice of ritual circumcision, provide a varied look at issues in contemporary South African life.

But for those seeking something that really hits the hot buttons, Jahmil X. T. Qubeka’s controversial noir thriller Of Good Report—about a shy teacher whose affair with his female teenage student triggers a rampage of sexual obsession and violence—was temporarily banned in South Africa for content deemed unsuitable by the Film Board of South Africa.