"In the four years it took to develop this movie, I became increasingly aware of how universal Hansie's story really is. I believe that people from all walks of life will identify with this story. To me it's primarily about how to get up, once you have fallen." Frans Cronjé (Producer & Screenwriter)

"We are not doing a movie about cricket, we are doing a movie about our frailty before temptation and our weaknesses. That is what it's about for me."  Regardt van den Bergh (Director)

"It is a profoundly significant film. It's the story of the prodigal son, which people the world over can identify with. Hansie Cronjé's true life story elevates him beyond the status of an international sporting hero. He was a sporting pioneer.  It was in his blood. He danced with darkness and had the courage to bring that darkness into the light." Julian Wiggins (Composer)

Hansie is a human drama, the story of a man, both glorious and flawed. Through riveting match-fixing intrigue, heart-stirring drama and action-packed sporting highlights we see the cricket captain of South Africa, with the world at his feet, trip and fall. With the unswerving dedication of his wife, and with the guiding wisdom of a dear friend, Hansie begins the journey back to forgiveness and redemption. 

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Hansie captained the South African cricket team through a golden era in South African cricket from November 1994 until 11 April 2000. Seventy percent of those one-day international matches played under captaincy were victories.  At one time, he was the youngest member of the team - and its captain. A year after his death the South African public voted to identify the hundred greatest South Africans in the country's history. Hansie was voted number 11. He is still statistically one of the most successful cricket captains in the world.
Hansie Cronjé still remains a potent national icon and one of the most controversial sporting figures of recent times. He was adored by the South African public and commanded the respect of millions throughout the world for his shining cricket captaincy.
Leading the post-Apartheid South African cricket team back into international cricket with remarkable success, Hansie, with his outspoken Christian beliefs and well-mannered nature, epitomised all the values of the 'gentlemen's sport' he played.  He was a leader second to none and in the after glow of a newly formed democratic nation, he represented all the hope that the new "rainbow nation" had to offer. Nelson Mandela praised him as a shining example of talent and leadership, the people loved him, it seemed as if he could not put a foot wrong.
The news of Hansie's involvement with Indian bookmakers, then, came as a crushing blow to the public. It resulted in his unprecedented fall. Hansie was 'sentenced to death' in the media and was delivered a life ban from cricket by the South African Cricket Board. The once loved and revered son of South African cricket had become a pariah, a traitor and outcast.
The story of Hansie is essentially a human one. It journeys through the questions of how one picks oneself up after a devastating loss. For Hansie this loss was on every level of his life and perhaps deepest was the loss of faith in himself. For such a high achieving individual to experience rejection on so many levels and to see all his accomplishments and hopes dashed - it was almost a crushing blow.
For Frans Cronjé, Hansie's older brother, telling Hansie's story has not been an easy journey but a necessary one. (Frans is both the Producer and the screenwriter of Hansie) Frans says, "There are many reasons for making the film. There are lessons to be learned from Hansie's life. The Earl of Rosebery, British Prime Minister in 1894, said, "Mankind is helped in its progress almost as much by the study of imperfection as by the contemplation of perfection." I think we can all learn from Hansie's mistakes and successes." The second reason is that Frans feels the media have misrepresented Hansie's story. "Someone needed to tell Hansie's story in an accurate, well balanced way." The movie has the blessing of all those who knew Hansie best, in his close circle of friends and family.
Some regard Hansie as a liar and a cheat. Others, the majority it seems, view him as a flawed national hero, one that brought the South African cricket team gloriously back into the international limelight. Despite his history and the humiliation of his fall, a recent poll in South Africa voted Hansie Cronjé the 11th greatest South African of all time. This movie attempts to get to grips with the person, both in his glory and his flawed humanity. Regardt van den Bergh speaking about the film says, "We are not doing a movie about cricket, we are doing a movie about our frailty before temptation and our weaknesses. That is what it's about for me." 

ON SET WITH HANSIE
By Daniel E. Dercksen

When people talk about the magic of the movies, it not always refers to the final product splashed on the big screen. The real magic happens when words are transformed into action and filming begins.  This was clearly evident when visiting the set of Hansie, a local filmed produced by Frans Cronje, and directed by Regardt van den Bergh.
There is a controlled chaos that cuts through the air, with everyone knowing exactly what they are doing, aiming for the same goal.
This prevailing excitement fuels the energy level and sharpens the focus, turning a dream project into reel footage.
A year ago, when talking to producer Frans Cronje about the prospect of making the film, he was as assured then as he is now, confident in the choices he has made to bring one of the most sought after events in South African history to the big screen.
For Cronje, who is the older brother of former South African cricket captain Hansie Cronje, it was never easy choices making a film about a subject matter that is intensely personal, but hard rulings that spiralled into getting the project on track.
Cronje was adamant on pursuing the project because "There are lessons to be learned from Hansie's life and his mistakes," he says.
"Someone needs to tell Hansie's story in an accurate, well balanced way," says Cronje, who also believes that many people need closure on Hansie's life after the dramatic way in which he was pulled out of the international arena with the King Commission and his untimely death.
Faith Like Potatoes marked Cronje's debut as producer.
"We learnt a lot from that", he says, "and managed to keep more or less the same team going into the Hansie movie. We've been working on the film for over three years now."
"My heart and our heart with Global Creative Studios is to tell stories that inspire," says Cronje. "I think it is exciting to tell the Hansie story in such a way that it inspires people. You can tell the Hansie storie in so many different ways, so many different variations."
Cronje is extremely excited about filming the story after so many years of preparation.
When he started writing screenplay, from the first treatment, he felt that "it worked."
"To see it playing out now and that it is still working is great," he says.
"There's are still stuff inside the story that is highly emotional for me although I've been inside the story and the movie for a long time, but you get used to that aspect."
Cronje hopes that those who watch the film will be able to identify with the story.
For Regardt van den Bergh, who directed Faith Like Potatoes, with Frans Cronje as producer, it was a partnership made in heaven.
"It's great that Frans has had the courage to do it," says van den Bergh.
"I feel very excited about making this film," he says. "It's a big movie. It's a really South African story. It is a story that awakens emotions in everybody."
Van den Bergh exudes a comfortable and relaxed attitude that sets those around him at ease. It is clear that he is the kind of director that allows his actors the freedom to explore their characters, and thoroughly enjoys watching the end product burst to life on the monitor.
Van den Bergh sees it as a challenge to tell the "story the way it was, to be brutally honest" and not to make any statements.
"We are not doing a movie about cricket, we are not doing a movie about match fixing, we are doing a movie about our frailty before temptation and our weaknesses. That's what it's about for me."
"I hope audiences will get some introspection, and be inspired," says van den Bergh.
The role of Hansie is played by Frank Rautenbach, who re-unites with Frans Cronje and Van den Bergh.
When I spoke to Rautenbach a year ago, I faced the embodiment of a rugged farmer. Now, Rautenbach carries a dark, intensive broodiness. 
Talking to him during a break in filming it was truly amazing to witness the drastic transformation Rautenbach has undergone, connecting the emotional and physical demands of the role.
There is a dedication in his approach as an actor, and commitment to his craft that is truly heroic.
"It feels more normal than weird now," says Rautenbach. "I've been doing research for about a year now. At this point it's starting to feel like my own skin."
What excites Rautenbach about playing Hansie is the "complexity of all the emotions he went through."
"He is an incredible guy, an iconic figure of South African society and not just of cricket and sport, but definitely somebody that people look up to in society as a hero and as a leader" says Rautenbach. "When he's completely broken, he still has the courage, with a lot of help from his friends and his wife, to find redemption in the situation and live his life."
"In my opinion he was a champion up to the last moment," says Rautenbach, who was initially attracted to the script because his grandparents were friends with Hansie's grandparents.
"There's been a family history in that way," says Rautenbach. "Also, as far as I am concerned, Hansie was a great cricketer and a great leader and I think the way Frans structured the story was very interesting and a fair reflection of his life.
We did not want to make a movie about vindication," says Rautenbach, who feels that it is a story of redemption, of what "Hansie did after he fell, and that to me is the triumph of the story."   
A triumph for Global Creative Studios has been the attachment of Hollywood actress Sarah Thompson to the film. The 28-year old American star in the tv series 7^th Heaven is playing the much sought-after role of Hansie's wife, Berth.
Thompson was clearly in another 'heaven' when talking to her on her first day of shooting.
She was thrown into the deep end, shooting a highly emotional confession scene between Hansie and his wife.
"I'm so excited to be here," she says. "South Africa is one of the places I have always wanted to visit," she says, her eyes sparkling radiantly as she takes in the spectacular view from Blaauwberg.
"It's so much better being here and experiencing the country with locals than it is to be a tourist," she says. "It is great to experience it on a whole different level."
What attracted Thompson to the script was the "beautiful story with such a great message."
"It just rang true, all the emotions and the characters," she says. "Immediately I said that I had to be a part of this."
"I love Bertha," says Thompson on playing Hansie's wife. "She is one of the strongest women I've ever heard about. She stands by Hansie and most women would handle it more poorly than she did. She is so full of compassion and so much heart."
"It's a wonderful story," says Thompson. "It is definitely something people could and will learn from."
"I hope that I can honour her in a way she deserves to be honoured, and honour the family."
Is there any similarities between Thompson and Bertha?
"I'd like to think so," laughs Thompson. "She seems pretty grounded and strong and I'm a pretty strong person. I am good when things are going wrong around me. I'm very good at being a rock. I think that's what we have in common. We do well when times are rough."

For more information on Hansie visit the website: www.hansiemovie.com

PROUDLY SOUTH AFRICAN FILMMAKING

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