Daniel Dercksen shares a few thoughts with writer-director Wimpie van der Merwe about his new film Karate Kallie - Die Hele Movie.

Tell me about Karate Kallie…how did the film happen?
The basic story started with a short film, with the same title, that I made as a final year project at the TUT film school in Pretoria in 2006. (The original idea was sparked while editing a music video with 2 of the lead characters in it earlier that year.) The short film, surprisingly, went on to win several awards at the film school and various festivals. This got everybody really keen in the film and Mnet eventually bought it to be aired on their channel. It is in fact still showing from time to time. This also got another person, media law lawyer, Charl Groenewald, interested in meeting me. He was just as passionate about making films and saw something he thought could work. We started a company called, New Trend Media, and our first venture was set out to become the development of the feature film; Karate Kallie. 

Fortunately with the subtitles it makes the film accessible for all audiences?
It really does open up the market a bit more. The subtitles are also written with a fair tongue in the cheek style and this will hopefully add some production value. It also helps to actually support a line or joke where it might be missed.

It seems that making a short film is a great way of opening doorways to a full length           feature film, if you look at District 9?
It seems to beneficial, yes. If a short film does well and receives the proper exposure, it becomes promising to develop something with a bigger scope. The idea and story should be strong and original enough to make this work though.

Your views on South Africans embracing District 9 as a 'South African' film?
I think it actually helps. It creates an awareness needed from the public to believe in local productions and the quality thereof, and to support it even more.

What inspired Karate Kallie?
Kallie is one of those free characters where I could probably explore a bit of myself in him. The story is definitely in some why a resemblance of experience, not only from me, but from various characters and scenarios in my past.

Why do you think Kallie has become such an endearing hero for local teens?
I think most people, including the teens, can in some way, and even on total different levels, associate with the character. He is lovable and fun to look at. He makes you think and I suppose people would like to have such a character as a friend. 

What do you hope to achieve with the release of Karate Kallie?
Hopefully it is a foot in the door and a way forward. I hope it will boost the local interest and thus help the market. It is always nice to make some money from such a venture, but I think just the feeling of accomplishment of such a dynamic process is even greater.

Was it a difficult film to make? Explain?
Well, it now needed to be about 4 times longer than the short. This made it quite a challenge to adapt the script and still keep it as fresh and funny as the original. The other challenge was also the extended amount of effort, long hours and hard work, which needed to go into getting the film shot. Working with a few professional actors was also somewhat intimidating, but a great learning curve. The weather was also a bummer during the period in which we shot the film. November 2008 probably had the weirdest rainy and sunny days in the whole of history.

How difficult is it to make a film in South Africa? What are the obstacles?
It can become quite a daunting task.  It's not easy to get people to trust enough in such a big project. This always results in the funding being one of the most difficult hurdles to overcome. It's also not something that happens very often in our local industry, so the pre-production phase becomes very intricate. Another aspect is the fact that we have so many different culture groups. This makes it very difficult to pinpoint a target market and audience.

Any advice for aspirant filmmakers and writers?
Never think that your dream is too big. I set myself a goal to try and make a movie before I'm 30 years old. (Initially that was almost an impossible dream). I'm now only 26 years of age and I did it. It might not be an Oscar winner yet, but hopefully I'm headed in the right direction. You have to get in there and get yourself noticed. You'll never know unless you take the chance.

What excites you about filmmaking?
First of all the people. It's always a different scenario and environment. Sometimes it feels like it becomes a small family working together. It's never monotonous. The other very interesting and wonderful thing about being a writer, is the fact that you can search, research and explore anything in the world. You can become part of any kind of job for example and learn everything about it and never actually have to study or even execute any part thereof. You are in fact just creating a story about it.  It helps me to focus on life and the future. I think it's part of living life to the fullest and trying to reach that inner goal. 

Have you always wanted to make films? Where did it all start for you?
I was fascinated with stories and books from an early stage. As I grew up I also developed an interest in the entertainment industry. I started my own little mobile DJ business at age 12. This just made me meet more interesting people and I knew that I was heading the right direction. I took a year off after school to make sure and decided to merge the love of stories and the love of entertaining people. So I went on to study film and never looked back since.

You are also a keen racer? Is this your ultimate release/ escape?
It's another passion of mine. Cars! My dad used to race, so it became a Father/Son thing. It's almost weird how well this gels with the moviemaking industry. You always meet people in very different surroundings that could in some way assist you in the filmmaking process. Also vice verse. It also taught me to work with my hands and to be able to solve different kinds of problems. From technical, physical or even just having a different mindset and approach to certain scenarios which can become very helpful in the industry. It helps you strive to do things to the best of your abilities. I am the current South African Champion in my class (1600cc Modified saloon, Tar, Oval track racing) and I try to carry the title with great honor.

What do you hope local audiences will get from watching Karate Kallie?
Entertainment and smiles on their faces. It would be great to know that I assisted in helping someone escape from reality for just a little while. There is also a good general message for the teenagers that I hope would help someone, somewhere to feel better about themselves. I also hope that audiences would look forward to seeing more. 

Any future plans?
If Karate Kallie does well and is fairly successful, then there might just be a number 2 on its way. We also have some other ideas in mind, but time will soon tell what the right way forward would be.

Any comments you would like to share about making the film?
I am just very excited and hope people will enjoy and watch it for its intended purpose; Entertainment. I look forward to living out my passion!

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