Plot Summary

Escape from Pretoria is a gripping prison thriller based on the real-life memoir Inside Out: Escape from Pretoria Prison by Tim Jenkin. Set in 1970s South Africa during the height of apartheid, the film chronicles the extraordinary true story of political prisoner Tim Jenkin, portrayed by Daniel Radcliffe.

After being arrested for producing and distributing pamphlets for banned anti-apartheid organizations, Jenkin is sentenced to 12 years in one of the most notorious maximum-security prisons in the country—Pretoria Prison. Classified as a white political prisoner, he is incarcerated alongside fellow activists Alex Moumbaris and Stephen Lee. Refusing to accept their fate, the trio begins meticulously planning an ambitious and near-impossible escape.

Inside the prison’s rigid and oppressive system, Jenkin develops an ingenious strategy involving handcrafted wooden keys designed to unlock multiple security doors. As tension mounts and surveillance tightens, every movement carries enormous risk. What unfolds is a nerve-racking battle of intellect and endurance against an unforgiving regime.

Written and directed by Francis Annan and co-written by L. H. Adams, the film stars Daniel Webber, Ian Hart, Mark Leonard Winter, Nathan Page, Stephen Hunter, Jeanette Cronin, and David Wilson. With its claustrophobic atmosphere and relentless pacing, Escape from Pretoria delivers a powerful portrayal of courage, resistance, and the unbreakable human will to fight injustice.