The story of the Gospels re-told as a tale of corruption and redemption in contemporary Africa. The narrative unveils a portrait of a man of our time whose currency is the politics of compassion. It is a gripping journey of love, deception and betrayal in a conflicted society.

Detailed Synopsis
In the state of Judea in southern Africa, violence, poverty and sectarianism are endemic. The neighbouring Alliance has invaded to restore 'peace' at gunpoint. Bloody street battles accompany the neighbouring dictatorship's incursion into its weaker satellite. Promises of a transition to open democratic rule accompany summary executions and brutal massacres.
As the civil war reaches a new level, a divine child is born to a lowly couple. As he grows and witnesses the inhumanity of the world he lives in, his angelic guardians offer him an escape to the heavens. He refuses. This is his world and he must try to save it from the work of evil men and from the darkness working through them.
As an adult, he travels to the capital, gathering followers from the armed factions of rebels that crisscross the land. He demands that his followers give up their guns and confront their corrupt rulers with a vision of non-violent protest and solidarity. Inevitably, he attracts the attention of the Judean tribal leaders who have struck a power-sharing deal with the aloof Governor Pilate.  The Son of Man must be brought down and destroyed. It should be another simple 'disappearance' like any other…
Son of Man was filmed in the township of Khayelitsha and on the Eastern Cape of South Africa.  This new and adventurous interpretation of the New Testament was filmed by Mark Dornford-May in collaboration with the pioneering Dimpho Di Kopane theatre troupe and choir network.  As with his first film, U-Carmen eKhayelitsha- the classic Carmen opera translated into the Xhosa tongue--the original yet traditional dance, songs and rhythms infuse this film with the life and spirit that really cuts its own voice to speak.

About the Cast and Crew

Dimpho Di Kopane
Dimpho Di Kopane is a theatre and film ensemble company consisting of thirty fantastically talented South Africa actors and singers. The name Dimpho Di Kopane means "combined talents" in Sotho, one of South Africa's eleven official languages. The name aptly describes the way in which the company works, relying on every member's unique skills as well as their collective focus and energy to create work of the highest caliber.
DDK began in late 2000 when Mark Dornford-May and Charles Hazlewood, then Artistic and Music Directors of Broomhill Opera in London, were asked to form an ensemble company in Cape Town. They began recruiting performers through an unprecedented audition process in which over two thousand auditions were held throughout rural and urban South Africa.
In its first four years, Dimpho Di Kopane has achieved phenomenal success. In 2001 Carmen and Yiimimangaliso The Mysteries played at Wilton's Music Hall in London where both productions had to be extended due to demand for tickets. The productions were listed for six weeks running as the most important music and theatre events in London.   The company then went on tour to the US, Australia, Canada, Turkey and the UK.
In April and May 2004, in association with Spier Films and Nando's, DDK made their first feature film U-Carmen eKhayelitsha, which won the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival 2005.
DDK went onto to do a five week residency in New York City as part of Season South Africa where they presented four of their productions in repertoire: Carmen, Yiimimangaliso The Mysteries, Ibali looTsotsi The Beggar's Opera and the company's newest work IKumkanikazi yeKhephu The Snow Queen.

Mark Dornford-May, director/producer
Mark Dornford-May worked in theater in England for 25 years and founded Broomhill Opera.  Mesmerized by the talent he had witnessed in South Africa, he returned in 2000 with Charles Hazlewood to create a new theatre company in Cape Town. That troupe would become Dimpho Di Kompane
U-Carmen eKhayelitsha, Dornford-May's first film, won the Golden Bear for Best Film at the Berlin International Film Festival 2005.

Pauline Malefane, Associate producer/co-writer/translator, (Mary)
Malefane grew up in Khayelitsha. She sang in local choirs from an early age and was first exposed to the world of opera during a high school outing to Don Giovanni. Pauline enrolled at the University of Cape Town College of Music to study a Performers Diploma in Music.
Malefane joined Dimpho Di Kopane in 2000 where she was selected to perform the lead role in Bizet's opera U-Carmen. Replacing the current lead with only three weeks to prepare the role, Malefane rose to the occasion and went on to achieve tremendous international acclaim, being described in The Observer, London as "the Carmen by which others should be measured".

Charles Hazlewood, composer
Charles Hazlewood is the dynamic young British conductor already well known as the "face of classical music" (The Daily Telegraph) of the BBC, for whom he has authored and conducted many groundbreaking TV programs. Hazlewood won first prize at the European Broadcasting Union conducting competition in Lisbon in 1995. He regularly conducts the BBC orchestras, and has guest conducted with many of the leading orchestras across the UK. In June 2003, he made his Carnegie Hall debut conducting the Orchestra of St. Luke's. He is curating and conducting a major Mozart festival with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in January 2006. His passion to explore music of all varieties with the widest possible audience has lead him to work with some of the most celebrated contemporary composers; in the past six years he has conducted over fifty world premieres, worked with the rawest new South African vocal talent, and explored artists at the cutting edge of the popular music scene in the UK.


PROUDLY SOUTH AFRICAN FILMMAKING

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