Video: Long Walk to Freedom: Watch Idris Elba in new full length trailer New stills and a trailer have been released for Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, starring British acting talent Idris Elba and Naomie Harris as Nelson and Winnie Mandela. The film tells the story of Mandela's life and is based on the 1994 autobiography of the same name. It will be directed by Justin Chadwick, the Bafta-winning British actor and director and released in January 2014.